The Childe (The Childe, #1)

The Childe
C.A. Kunz
398 pages
Released: February 18, 2011
Publisher: the authors
Source: the authors
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

You might remember my Decatur Book Festival IMM post from about a month ago where I mentioned meeting the authors of The Childe after stumbling upon their booth.  Well, my husband politely reminded me last week that I owed them a review and I agreed... it was time to read the book and finally figure out once and for all what a "Childe" was.

I was not disappointed!   The Childe follows the live of Cat Colvin as she enters high school and goes through all those normal, teenaged problems - problems with teachers, boys, friends, and of course the occasional parental grounding.  But as Cat gets closer and closer to turning sixteen, strange things start happening and she can't figure out what's going on with herself.  Worse, everyone around her seems to be in on it but her.

There is definitely mystery and intrigue throughout the novel.   We know from the back cover that Cat is turning into a Childe.  Several other YA novels have gone this route, a teenage girl turning into something paranormal, but what was unique and awesome about The Childe was that even though we know Cat is turning into one from the get-go, we don't learn what a Childe is until practically the end of the novel.  Naturally, I had my suspicions as I read, but the suspense of not knowing really kept the novel interesting and kept me turning the pages.  You're sure to have your own guesses as you read, but I know you won't be one hundred percent right.

Quite frankly, I think the book got better the farther I got into it.  The plot started out a bit slow, but by the end of the novel I was almost breathless for more.  We learn what Cat is, but what of it?  How will it play out in the sequel, Dark Days?  Will her parents every stop lying to her?  And what's the deal with her feline friend (there's got to be something more there)?  I think The Childe is the start of something great.

The only thing I didn't like about The Childe was the point of view - or rather the lack of a consistent point of view.  Much of the story is told from Cat's, but we often get a glimpse of what other characters are thinking, sometimes one right after another.  This didn't stop me from enjoying the novel a great deal, however.  It's been my novel of choice while I've been sick and out-of-commission these past few days.

Four stars!  Much of The Childe takes place during the fall season and a portion of the book is even dedicated to Halloween festivities, so it's definitely an appropriate novel to be reading right now.  Please give it a look - this is one independently published novel that won't disappoint.  If I weren't subject to this husband-imposed book buying ban until February (112 days to go!) I would have ordered the second book off Amazon by now.



PS: I would like to thank the authors again for taking the time the talk to me at the Decatur Book Festival and for giving me a free copy.  For FCC purposes, I would like to mention that even though the book was given to me, that did not affect my review and the opinions are all my own.