- The premise for When is interesting and a little creepy. Imagine knowing the date everyone will die. How Maddie came to do readings was believable and immediately allowed the reader to connect. It makes you ponder the questions, "Would you want to know your end date?"
- It is a standalone! In a sea of trilogies, series and serials it was fantastic to slip into a world and get a complete story.
- Maddie Fynn is an interesting character who struggles with her gift and dealing with her broken home life. Despite that, she is a good kid and tries to deal with her lot in life. She longs to be wrong, which is understandable. I immediately felt a connection to Maddie, and appreciated how realistic she was portrayed.
- Secondary characters are strong and added to the story. Stubby her best friend is both supportive and the catalyst that complicates things. The portrayal of Maddie’s mom and her disease was well done. I appreciate the way the author addressed it. From FBI agents, to the next-door neighbor Laurie gave them all unique voices and depth.
- The pacing of the tale keeps the reader engaged as Maddie struggles to clear names and keep her home life from falling completely apart.
- The author slowly increased the tension, with twists and turns. How people reacted as the case unfolded was realistic and a painful reminder of guilty to proven innocent. The final chapters will have the reader unable to set the book down. The conclusion was strong and left the reader satisfied.
Decaffeinated Aspects:
- Police and FBI procedures are not exactly by the book here and while I suppose arguments could be made; I just rolled with it as the story was engaging.
- There is a love interest, and while it displays Maddie as young, and normal it did little for the storyline. It was just sprinkled in here or there. Romance is not a necessary ingredient for me, but the hint of one and minimal page time may disappoint some. Go into the story thinking no romance and all will be fine. While it served to lighten the intensity, it could have been cut during editing.
Copy provided by publisher.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer