Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Release Date: 14th June, 2011

Publisher: Dutton

Pages: 352pgs

The Story

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

The Review

The first word that comes to mind when I think about this book is . . . odd. It's not necessarily a bad thing because it's good to have something different. With the cover itself being beautiful and mind-blowing, readers will know instantly that it's the type book that makes YOU want to pick it up, just by judging its cover. But IMAGINARY GIRLS is not your typical young adult fiction. At least not in the way you would expect. It's dark, eerie, mysterious, and it's something that really get's your mind thinking. And perhaps it's a little bit disturbing. Reading this book and all it has to offer, it was like waking up in your own nightmare and no matter how hard you try . . . you just can't wake up! Then when you eventually wake up, you still can't shake off this haunting dream. And, that my friends, is exactly what you get from this book!

In IMAGINARY GIRLS, readers will know straight away that Chloe's sister, Ruby, isn't your ordinary girl. Despite her being controlling, mesmerizing, and hell-ish demanding . . . there's something not right with her. Something that could be deadly. These two sisters - Chloe and Ruby - have been separated for almost two years - ever since Chloe's classmate's body was found. But when the sisters reunite after these unbearable years, Chloe knows something is going on with her sister since Ruby's friends will do just about anything for her and she uses and abuses that power of hers, to get what she wants when she wants it.

To be honest, I had zero clue about the book and what it's about. I knew other readers said it was a paranormal book, but when I was reading it the paranormal 'twist' - if that's what you call it - came in just after 75 pages or so. I mean I knew something was terribly wrong with Chloe's sister, Ruby, but again, I had zero clue what was going on with her. I thought she was possessed or something and even after finishing the book, I still have little clue about what was wrong with her. At times I found myself frustrated with having so little information about what was going on, but Suma's vivid surroundings kept me there til the end. Like I mentioned at the start of this review, it was an odd book. And by that I mean it's very hard to describe the book let alone tell you what happens and what I thought of it cause I'm still confused by the ending.

The novel was captivating, I admit that, from the beginning but most of the time the book was very unpredictable. However, the real downer of IMAGINARY GIRLS was the ending. Sometimes when it comes to standalones there's very little explanation for things and that's what I wanted from this book. More explanation. I wanted more to happen. What I needed was more conflict, suspense, tension . . . There was a 'hope' of romance but that didn't turn out into anything I hoped for which ruined it for me. Sigh. Anyway readers will get the fact that something is wrong with Ruby and also see how strange Chloe's adoration for her sister was, but ultimately the ending made me feel very disappointed. Nonetheless Nova Ren Suma has a great eye for detail and knows how to create such a disturbing book . . . a fairly good one at that.

The Rating

3/5 stars