Monday, October 28, 2013

Review: Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen @NetGalley @jessFallenStar

Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen
Series: Nova #1
Publication date: September 3rd, 2013
Pages: 224

Synopsis:
Nova Reed used to have dreams-of becoming a famous drummer, of marrying her true love. But all of that was taken away in an instant. Now she's getting by as best she can, though sometimes that means doing things the old Nova would never do. Things that are slowly eating away at her spirit. Every day blends into the next... until she meets Quinton Carter. His intense, honey brown eyes instantly draw her in, and he looks just about as broken as she feels inside.

Quinton once got a second chance at life--but he doesn't want it. The tattoos on his chest are a constant reminder of what he's done, what he's lost. He's sworn to never allow happiness into his life... but then beautiful, sweet Nova makes him smile. He knows he's too damaged to get close to her, yet she's the only one who can make him feel alive again. Quinton will have to decide: does he deserve to start over? Or should he pay for his past forever?

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Review:
I received an e-copy of this book from the publishers at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica Sorensen is truly a household name when it comes to contemporary fiction, so it's not surprising that when I was alerted to a new series I was desperate to try it out. From the synopsis it sounded like a troubled girl who would ultimately tame the wild and broken boy. Seems like a light and fun little read, doesn't it? And then I got to page 1...

Nova's story opens on her discovering her childhood best friend and love of her life in some sort of traumatic situation. It is only to be assumed he died in some manner and she was the one who found him that way. (Okay... not so light and fun) Nova doesn't know how to coup with her existence without Landon. She tries to distract herself from the pain by counting things obsessively. Number of cracks in the street, number of rocks in a path, number of limbs in a tree, and so forth. She sets a routine for herself to keep her panic attacks and break downs manageable. She knows she will never love again and is merely surviving each day because she doesn't have the strength of will to end her suffering. Her life and routines are rocked to their core when she meets Quinton.

Quinton also has issues. He has also confronted a devastating loss that he can't seem to recover from. Guilt and shame eat away at him until the only way he can numb the pain is through drugs. He, also, swears to never love again. Enter Nova.

Nova and Quinton rock each others steadfast law to never enter into a relationship with another person. They are instantly drawn to each other. Perhaps because they are both suffering from the same sort of pain that is eating away at their souls, or maybe it's simply because they see their lost loved ones in each other and are hungry to experience that connection again. Either way, whatever is happening between Nova and Quinton can either mend their shattered lives or destroy it even further.

I have not had a book that rocked me to the core as much as this one did. I started it directly before bedtime thinking I'd get a chapter in and call it a night. I stayed up for 6 hours and finished the entire thing without stopping. I was sobbing my eyes out almost the entire book. Sorensen made the characters' devastating plights and their tragic stories believable. She made me want to root for Nova and Quinton to finally find happiness again and pull themselves out of the downward spiral they were headed. I wanted them to heal through each other's combined strength.

I will not give away the ending but... that didn't happen and I am MAD! I am mad that the book was so intoxicating and I have to wait until February 2014 to find out what happened with it's epic cliffhanger (why do you hate us, Jessica, why?). I am mad because when I could finally breath easy for the characters something happened and they started to backslide. I am mad because I will not be able to get over this book for many, many days/weeks/months! You are a genius, Jessica. An evil, diabolic, cruel genius of literature!

Breaking Nova will completely break your heart into a million tiny pieces and Jessica Sorensen will own at least a fragment of it even after it is finally put back together.