Reviewed by chymerra on
Not kidding you, it is. I have been reading reviews (on Amazon/Goodreads and blogs that I follow) that have been giving it 5 star reviews. Normally when I see all 5 star reviews for a book and then read it, I end up not liking it. Maybe I am picky but that’s another post…lol. I am happy to say that this book definitely lives up to its 5 star hype!!!
I loved Anna. She went through so much in her life. Being abandoned in a mall at age 3 ( holding a lovely sign that says “This child is possessed“) to going through numerous foster homes to being put into numerous psychiatric hospitals/institutions (5 to be exact), she learned rely only on herself and her best friend Deo (I will get more into him). Her only constants in her life is Deo, Dr Kelsey (her psychiatrist) and the ghosts that she picks up. Yes, she picks up ghosts. Actually, Dr. Kelsey labeled them as ibbur (for the good ones) and dybbuk (for the evil ones). They take up residence in her head until she is able to resolve their issues so they can go to the light (my words), leaving her with their knowledge/experiences. Put it like this, remember the scene from Ghost when Patrick Swayze’s character takes over Whoopi Goldberg’s character to reconnect with Demi Moore? It’s like that except Anna refuses to allow her ghosts to take over her body. Well refused until she picked up Molly at a homeless shelter and got caught up in something that she never ever expected would happen to her.
Deo has to be best secondary character that I have ever read. He is loyal to Anna and over the top vibrant. What I really liked is that he was questioning his sexual preference. He might or might not like women and he might or might not like men and he might or might not like both. The author chose to just add it as an afterthought during one of Anna’s inner dialogues and it really didn’t come up again during the book. Actually, the only time that it came up in the book was when he disappeared, Anna was trying to figure out where he went and her first thought was to his mother…who married a man who liked to beat Deo because he was different (liked to dress over the top, liked boys and girls and he was the reason Deo was in foster care).
The storyline for this book was great too. Molly, the ghost who hitched a ride with Anna, wants Anna to go talk to her grandfather and give him the name of the man who killed her mother. That way, he can start to look into her death (he’s a retired detective). But Molly’s grandfather, Jerome Porter, is a skeptic and refuses to believe Anna. He takes her phone, talks to her psychiatrist and has her investigated. After a meeting with him, where she lets Molly take over her body for 10 mins, he is convinced that she is the real deal. But, when they are both shot at coming out of Dr Kelsey’s, the story takes a huge turn. Not going to get into it too much but there is human trafficking, a government project that used LSD to see what powers the mind might have that was shut down, a secret government facility that keeps children like Anna in an underground bunker, an uber rich bad guy who is obsessed with Anna, his moron flunky and the beginning of a sweet romance (betcha you weren’t expecting me to write that….lol).
The ending was bittersweet. There is an unexpected death of sorts, a reunion and the beginning of a road trip. The author did wrap up Molly’s storyline (and it was so sad when she did) but she left the other storylines wide open for book 2. Which I cannot wait to read!!
How many stars will I give The Delphi Effect? 5
Why? A fantastic fantasy/mystery that gets you hooked. I couldn’t put the book down. Seriously, I couldn’t. I read while I cooked, looked over homework, gave baths/showers, did dishes…..lol.
Will I reread? Yes
Will I reccomend to family and friends? Yes
Age range: Teen
Why? No sex (just one kiss), violence, language. There is a pretty graphic description of Molly’s death and the killing of 3 kids.
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**
You can also find this review at: https://easonjolie5.wordpress.com/2016/10/12/book-review-the-delphi-effect-the-delphi-trilogy-book-1-by-rysa-walker/
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 12 October, 2016: Finished reading
- 12 October, 2016: Reviewed