REVIEW: Hurricane by Jenna-Lynn Duncan

Author: Jenna-Lynn Duncan

Pages: eBook

Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal

Publisher: Divertir Publishing

Buy Links: Amazon  Smashwords  Barnes and Noble

You can read my interview with author, Jenna-Lynn Duncan here 

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

"I anxiously looked around, my heart palpitating, just in time to see an alligator slink into the green algae covered water that was on either side of us. I swallowed hard, and my heart raced even faster. Alligators were a different type of predator—the one thing I was afraid of. Now I was on my own personal swamp tour. What if my kidnappers left me in the middle of a swamp with five of them creeping up on me? I’ve had that nightmare before and—oh no, if my dreams really are a sign of the future—I couldn’t breathe now." Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…

REVIEW: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Hurricane was kindly provided to me by author Jenna-Lynn Duncan.

Adriana Alexander is an only child and living with her seemingly absent father, she experiences nightly dreams that are eerily realistic and when she dreams of the arrival of two new students and finding out it has in fact come true, she starts to question her abilities.

Luke and Hayden are good-looking, smart and are showing an interest in Ani, something she is not used to – she is a loner with few friends and doesn’t welcome the attention. Luke seems to be the most infuriating whereas Hayden has more endearing qualities but runs hot and cold.

When news of the hurricane hits Ani is determined to stay behind and ride it out, she heads to the local store to stock-up on necessities but is surprised to see the handsome brothers and even more shocked when they kidnap her.

Hayden and Luke are extremely vague initially when it came to Ani and providing her with information, she knew they were different but was clueless as to why. Ms Duncan certainly had me guessing along the way and I must admit I was completely wrong (I won’t reveal what they are).

Ani is thrown into a paranormal world she didn’t know existed and took the news surprisingly well, she is taken into Luke and Hayden’s family fold and adapts to the news without question or fear, I would have liked more emotions shown and explained; Ani cried a lot but she accepted what and who they are too easily.

I found the details on historical Lalaurie eerily spooky and may be a tad graphic for the younger reader but it was only briefly touched on in conversation but necessary to the story.

There were some interesting secondary characters and I am intrigued to see how they are further developed in the sequel – especially Luke who I actually really liked and Rachel who I think knows more than she lets on. I was so irked at Ani’s father, he didn’t seem to notice she existed and she seemed to be the one looking after him rather than the other way around and to expect her to move out before she had even completed school really grated on my nerves.

There is a love triangle which I am not a fan of whatsoever and I am hoping in upcoming installments it doesn’t take over from the main storyline.

It is absolutely devastating what happened with Hurricane Katrina, the devastation and havoc it wreaked was heart-breaking. The details Ms Duncan provided were vivid and the imagery she gives puts you in the scene, you can imagine the chaos caused and the emotions it evokes. We see New Orleans before the Hurricane and also post Hurricane.

I enjoyed Ms Duncans writing, the mysterious and intriguing plot was entertaining and detailed and the characters well thought out. Hurricane is a quick and enjoyable read that had me eagerly turning the pages. I am keen to read the sequel which Ms Duncan is currently working on.

A portion of each sale of Hurricane is going to benefit the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanities – a great cause.

Obtained: Author