I had no idea how amazing this book would be until I started reading and found myself unable to put it down. And then I read the author's review about how she just combined all of the things that she loved into one story and it blew me away. This book is packed full of fun things, a bad boy rockstar (which you quickly learn is only a facade), a sweet girl, a homeless neighborhood protector, mermaids, Atlantis, Greek mythology, awesome magical superpowers (I don't want to spoil this part, but the powers are very cool!) - so many things that you don't expect in one book. And not only are they all there, C.A. Gray makes them all work together and has all the loose ends tied up by the end of the book. Brilliantly written.

So the gist of the story is Ada Edwards is a sheltered, very trusting teenager who works at a coffee shop and spends much of her time studying. She also buys dinner for a homeless man once a week who jokingly tells her that the whole world is in love with her. But how could they not be? She has such a kind heart and refuses to grow bitter or stop trusting people despite her mom dying when she was young and people breaking her heart. She is so beautiful.

Kai Hughes, teen heartthrob and rockstar, shows up first at her bus stop, then at the coffee shop where she works, wanting to meet her. Obviously, he is up to no good, except that he quickly sees what the rest of the world sees. Ada is amazing.

And that's just the beginning of the story. It's an unpredictable ride that barely slows down to allow you to catch your breath. As happy as I am that it was a standalone and I got to read the entire story, I want to read another book just like it and navigate through the suspense and romance and heart of a story like this all over again and wish the author could just keep writing it. So good! I highly recommend this book!

I received an advanced review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ( )