Girls on Fire: Intrinsical by Lani Woodland

 

Intrinsical
by Lani Woodland
Series: The Yara Silva Trilogy #1
290p.
Available now
Source: Girls on Fire Box set from publicity for review

Sixteen-year-old Yara Silva has always known that ghosts walk alongside the living. Her grandma, like the other females in her family, is a Waker, someone who can see and communicate with ghosts. Yara grew up watching her grandmother taunted and scorned for this unusual ability and doesn't want that to be her future. She has been dreading the day when she too would see ghosts, and is relieved that the usually dominant Waker gene seems to have skipped her, letting her live a normal teenage life. However, all that changes for Yara on her first day at her elite boarding school when she discovers the gene was only lying dormant. She witnesses a dark mist attack Brent, a handsome fellow student, and rushes to his rescue. Her act of heroism draws the mist's attention, and the dark spirit begins stalking her. Yara finds herself entrenched in a sixty-year-old curse that haunts the school, threatening not only her life, but the lives of her closest friends as well. Yara soon realizes that the past she was trying to put behind her isn't going to go quietly.

My thoughts:
I've been wanting to read this one for a while now. This is one of the full stories included in this box set. There are others, but I thought I'd pick the last one in this group to see if I would like this one or not.

I did enjoy this story. I liked Yara, one who suddenly finds she is like her grandmother and can communicate with ghosts. Her family is also mysteriously tied into the school she is attending with her ghost hunting bestie. The "curse" of the school turns it's eyes toward Yara after a life saving incident and her awakened ability. Her abilities and what she learns about life and death may save or condemn more people.

I did like the characters. In fact, my fave character didn't even make an appearance physically in the book. Yara's grandmother is an integral part of her past and becomes the key in figuring things out. I do hope she makes an appearance in the other 2 books in this trilogy. I sympathized with Yara, but would have liked to seen more of her personality come through. Brent was frustrating to me at times because I just wanted him to be more genuine of his feelings, but I still liked him and rooted for him in the end.

I give this book 3 1/2 stars. I did enjoy the book and despite this being a trilogy, it can be read as a standalone. It is a complete book! I so enjoy that. I am looking forward to seeing a bit more of these characters in the next book.