Title: Runes (Runes, #1)Author: Ednah Walters
Date Published: June 8, 2013
Publisher: Firetrail Publishing
Source: Netgalley
Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.
Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.
Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.
My Thoughts:
I first heard about Torin St. James, when he was a contestant in the YA Crush Tournament, over at the YA Sisterhood, last year. His advocate did such a great job of presenting him and his book, Runes, that I knew I had to "meet" him for myself. It took awhile for Runes to get to the top of my reading pile, and now I'm kind of kicking myself for not bumping it up to the top sooner. I can now see why others were buzzing about him.
I have to say, I really liked Ednah Walter's spin on Norse mythology! Ever since I read Elsker by S.T. Bende, I've been hooked on the topic, and have been seeking out new books that delve into it. I really I liked reading about the Valkyres and the deities. I also loved the idea of runes, and how they could be used for various purposes. It was also interesting to learn about the history of a few of the characters, and what life used to be like for them. I hope to learn more about their pasts, as some of them have been more secretive about their lives than others. *cough*Andris*cough*
Torin St. James was especially intriguing and drool worthy! I loved that he drove a motorcycle and that he was so intelligent. And yes, he's handsome too. I did have to giggle because there were times when his age showed, but I think it just added to his character and made him even more endearing. Lorraine (Raine) Cooper was a great character as well. Like Torin, she's smart and good looking, yet it didn't go to her head. I'll be honest- there were a few times when she made me mad! Her good friend, Cora, was another character who frustrated me, and I had a hard timer relating to her. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and in a way I appreciated it, as I prefer my characters to NOT be perfect and to make mistakes. It makes things seem more realistic. And we all have different personalities, right?
What I didn't like: I didn't think that Raine was fair to Eirik. He was supposed to be her best friend and like her brother to her, yet she couldn't be honest with him, and sometimes she just seemed cruel in how she'd disregard him on a whim. I understand that feelings changed amongst people, but I had thought more of Raine prior to this, and believed she owed it to Eirik to be straight up.
Another thing I'd like to mention is that I was a tad confused at the end. Something happened, and I had a little trouble following the timeline of events, as it seemed like a couple of events overlapped just a bit. I wasn't sure who was affected exactly and when it happened? I know I'm a little vague here (and I do apologize), but I do not want to give away any spoilers. Hopefully this will be explained in the next book, Immortals.
So you're all just going to have to read Runes for yourself. ;) It's a great start to what is sure to be fun and promising series. I cannot wait to get to know the secondary characters more, as well follow Raine and Torin on their adventures!
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