A much headier tale than I initially imagined, but filled with the positive message of "reader heal thyself". Karina was hurt by the world, once upon a time, but that hurt, that accident, created a rift in how she approached life. The world was no longer her oyster, but an oyster farm, out to get her when she least suspected. One day, she stumbles upon the door to her inner voice (stay with me) and after this initial discovery, she is changed. She no longer sees simply the ugliness of the world, but the hidden battle between our true selves and that which we present to the world. Visit after visit, she comes to understand that while her skills for "seeing" are unique, that inner realm exists for each person, if only they'd look deep enough within to find it, trust that little voice to guide them in the right direction. She finds it's something she can help others with, but not simply show them, as the journey to that level of understanding is very personal, and the path to get there varied. By book's end, she's covered much ground within, allowing her to better accept the coming changes in her life as beloved people say goodbye and her future looms on the horizon...and although it does have its sad moments, it also has times of great joy and happiness, making it not something to dread but to look forward to.

Word to the wise, you have to go into this one with an open mind because if you don't believe in the concepts presented (reincarnation, the circle of life, the power of positive thinking), or at the very least accept that others do, it won't reveal its true colors, because although it is fiction, it deals with something "real world" enough that completely suspending your beliefs can be a challenge. Despite the heavy concepts covered, I did rather enjoy my time between the pages. Exploring Karina's "world" was breathtaking, making you take a moment to bask in its otherworldly beauty while it also made you stop and think, contemplating just how it could possibly be. Overall, a curious read from start to finish, but it had enough heart to bring all the feels of the moments presented a dozen times over.


**copy received for review ( )