The Reluctant Sacrifice by Kerr-Ann Dempster

Published: August 7th 2015 by: Kerr-Ann Dempster

Genres: Young-Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Urban-Fantasy

ebook provided by author for review

My Rating: 4 Stars

Find It: Goodreads | Amazon

Centuries ago, sibling rivalry tore Aramith apart. As punishment, the losers were stripped of their immortal birthright and banished to Earth. There, they wasted away from old age and diseases. However, there is hope…

If a Shaw child, born on the 12th day of the 12th month offers her soul in a public sacrifice, then the exiles will be forgiven and welcomed home to Aramith.

Aubrey Shaw is that child, but dying for the exiles is not on her to-do list. Using her gift as a Jumper, Aubrey leaps between bodies to escape relentless shape-shifting hunters. Only, shedding her skin is not enough. Not when Joshua, her best-friend-turned-hunter, is hell-bent on dragging her to the altar.

Will Aubrey’s love for Joshua change his mind?

Or, will she have to trust the scarred stranger who shows up out of the blue cloaked in lies and secrets? Doing so means giving up on Joshua. But betting on Joshua’s love could do more than break her heart.

It could kill her.

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REVIEW I really enjoyed this book! Aside from that pesky love triangle that seemed to not want to go anywhere, I didn’t want it to end. I dare I say that I have found, yet another, book boyfriend. Yes, yes, it happens. Sue me. Coy will have you swooning from the moment he enters the story until the very end. I just knew that Aubrey’s friendship, and obvious love, with Joshua would cause problems for me. I wanted to scream at her to let it go. He slept with your evil sister for crying out loud! In the end, everything fell into place as it should.

So, if you read the synopsis, then I don’t need to explain what it’s about. Let’s talk about these characters. Aubrey: not my favorite heroine, obviously. She is a jumper. As in, her soul can jump from one body to the next. The only downside to jumping is that you can lose some of your self while jumping inside different bodies. You can also carry on a part of the previous body’s soul as you move on to the next one. As was the case with Aubrey’s mother. The woman was kind of “lost”, but she sacrificed herself for her daughter; at the hands of her other daughter. Yeah, that chick is so evil. Think of Morgan as the spoiled- fireball of a sister, and she wants Aubrey to burn. Err, die by stabbing.

Another character that I liked, aside from Coy, is Tessa. She’s like the best friend that every girl wants. Hey, the chick likes Supernatural. How can you not love her. Anyhoo, her loyalty to Aubrey is what gets her into trouble. Joshua is/was Aubrey’s best friend when they were kids. She is still in love with him, even though he’s been sleeping with Morgan while she’s been on the run. He is now a “hunter” and is willing to put Aubrey up front and center for the sake of a messed up prophecy. I’d like to say he warmed my heart by the end, but no. I still see him as the enemy. Coy…. he’s hot, he’s a “cloaker”, and a hunter. He was team Aubrey from the jump, and I love how he tried to protect her through it all. I’ve not swooned this much in a while. There are other characters who play important roles, and are not as they seem. I was actually shocked by one such character. No spoilers.

I definitely recommend this book to any and all who love paranormal/urban-fantasy/romance. I wish it was longer than it was, but I still loved it. I love the world that Kerr-Ann created and it’s characters.