The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard Review!

   

Title : The Almost Girl
Author : Amalie Howard
Pages : 416
Published : 7th January 2014 
Publisher : Strange Chemistry
Source : Netgalley

Seventeen-year-old Riven is as tough as they come. Coming from a world ravaged by a devastating android war, she has to be. There’s no room for softness, no room for emotion, no room for mistakes. A Legion General, she is the right hand of the young Prince of Neospes, a parallel universe to Earth. In Neospes, she has everything: rank, responsibility and respect. But when Prince Cale sends her away to find his long-lost brother, Caden, who has been spirited back to modern day Earth, Riven finds herself in uncharted territory.

Thrown out of her comfort zone but with the mindset of a soldier, Riven has to learn how to be a girl in a realm that is the opposite of what she knows. Riven isn’t prepared for the beauty of a world that is unlike her own in so many ways. Nor is she prepared to feel something more than indifference for the very target she seeks. Caden is nothing like Cale, but he makes something in her come alive, igniting a spark deep down that goes against every cell in her body. For the first time in her life, Riven isn’t sure about her purpose, about her calling. Torn between duty and desire, she must decide whether Caden is simply a target or whether he is something more.

Faced with hideous reanimated Vector soldiers from her own world with agendas of their own, as well as an unexpected reunion with a sister who despises her, it is a race against time to bring Caden back to Neospes. But things aren’t always as they seem, and Riven will have to search for truth. Family betrayals and royal coups are only the tip of the iceberg. Will Riven be able to find the strength to defy her very nature? Or will she become the monstrous soldier she was designed to be?

My Thoughts : 

Riven is from Neospes, a world ravaged after an android war. She is a General of The Vector army and one of the best fighters there. When Prince Cale tells her that unless she finds his brother he will die, she knows she has to do all it will take. She leaves her world against her fathers wishes and goes to modern day Earth to find the brother.

3 years later and countless moves she finally finds Caden by accident. She realises that he has been kept hidden because her sister has been guarding him. She needs to get closer to him to get him to trust her but she finds that he isn't who she thought he was and she finds herself drawn to him. The feelings she has are new to her because in her world Feelings are a weakness.

When I saw this on Netgalley I knew I had to read it. It sounded awesome and something Id like. Well I really really liked it.

I really liked Riven. She is strong, smart and Kick Ass!!! While she could be harsh it was only because she didn't know any better. She leads basically an undead army, which her father created. She doesn't have emotions like we do. She is drilled that they are bad and unnecessary! Her mother died when she was young, which she witnessed, and her sister left. Her father is extreme to say the least and the only person she has any attachment to is Prince Cale. He has been there for Riven and he is her best friend and she would do anything for him.

Then there's Caden. He is the opposite of Cale. He is funny, nice, kind and an all round decent guy. When Riven finds Caden, he is ignorant to his heritage. He knows nothing of Neospes nor the fact that he is a prince. He soon gets a rude awakening when the Vectors show up!!!

The Vectors are just plain freaky. Reanimated corpses that are mostly machine and smell of formaldehyde!!! They follow orders to the letter and always obey. Rivens father created them and she leads them. When she goes to earth she starts to see them as the abomination they really are. She starts to doubt what her father is doing and question if its right.

The Almost Girl is action packed from the start with never a dull moment. It has great characters that you become invested in and a story line that's gripping. There are plenty of twists and turns, some you see and some you wont. There is heartache, betrayal and loss. All these rolled into one creates one heck of a read!!! Amalie Howard has created a book that will pull you in and leave you reeling. I cant wait for book 2 to see where Rivens story goes.