Summer Solstice: Enchanted

Summer Solstice: Enchanted

by K.K. Allen

4 out of 5

Synopsis
The Summer Solstice Enchanted is the first in the Summer Solstice Series – a lighthearted Young Adult Fantasy set in Apollo Beach, Florida.

Katrina "Kat" Summer has been sheltered and void of much social interaction her entire life. But her world changes drastically when her mother dies unexpectedly and she is forced move in with her grandmother and caretaker.

In the picturesque town of Apollo Beach, which dwells on Florida’s West Coast, is where Kat’s world takes on enchanting new beginnings. Her grandmother, Rose, a whimsical old lady with wild tales of the Ancient Greek gods and goddesses from which their family descends, encourages Kat to understand their heritage. But the more Kat learns the more she realizes how many secrets her mother kept from her growing up.

Leading up to her 16th birthday, Kat is occupied with enigmatic visions and disturbing dreams with prophecies much too real to ignore. And after a run-in with the boy-next-door, a good looking guy her age named Alec Stone, Kat is more resolved than ever to find out the truth about her families’ past and what that has to do with her future.

What Kat finds is a mythology surrounding the Summer Solstice that forever transforms her from the awkward teen she once was, to the enchanted Katrina Summer.

Review
Kat's life inevitably changes when her mother dies unexpectedly.  She goes to live with a grandmother she knows nothing about.  It is here that she learns about a world her mother had tried to hide from her - the world of the Solstices.

This book reminded me of the Secret Circle (which is never a bad thing), with the steady pacing and style of writing.  I would definitely recommend this as a summer read!

I love a bit of greek mythology, and I think that Allen got the perfect balance of information and entertainment without breaking the flow.
The whole Solstice bloodlines and history is nicely creative and original, gradually building throughout the book.

I like Kat as the main character.  She's open-minded and you learn about the Summer family and the Soltices along with her.
The rest of the supporting cast are, for the most part, amiable characters.  Iris and Ava were entertaining.

The bad bits:
There was nothing bad exactly.
I thought it was quite formulaic, it ticked all the YA boxes - the new girl, the cute guys smitten with said new girl, the shallow and bitchy girl(s).
That being said, it's better than half the YA stories out there.
It's a very nice read, I felt that it was less an adventure in itself, and more an introduction to the series to follow.
Which I will definitely be reading - only a few months to wait for The Eqiunox!

Goodreads link
Amazon.co.uk