Ember Dante

The story and emotion in this gem completely blew me away. It didn't take long to fall in love with the characters and by the time I reached the final page, I felt as though we were old friends. There are highs and lows, but through it all Easton, Brooke, Nicole, and Avery step up to the plate and support each other. It's one of the best stories of love and friendship I've read in a long, long while.

I could not put down this book. It was amazing! Hauntingly tragic, it was an original telling of Stalin's siege of Leningrad during WWII intertwined with a very believable family drama. This is a must read, and I'm sure I will read it again someday.

I loved the way Kimberly tied in the beginning of this book with its predecessor, Tattooed Dots, and then took it on its own incredible journey. Avery and Nicole are both VERY stubborn, but I think that's what makes their story so remarkable as they deal with the hand Life deals them. I'm not ashamed to say I cried a few tears along the way—it was that powerful!

WOW. I was pulled into the web of this story, simultaneously wanting to know what came next and never wanting it to end. It was perfect.

And the ending–oh my.

This is the second book I've ready by Alafair Burke. I found it very easy to sink into the story, and the tension between the characters was palpable (and believable). That being said, it seemed a bit formulaic and I figured out the “who dunnit” pretty early on, though it didn't ruin it for me. The journey and how she wrapped it up was still enjoyable.