Haven Review.

Name - Haven.
Author - Kristi Cook.
Rating - Four Stars.
Theme Song - "Twilight" - Vanessa Carlton.


Synopsis - One month into her junior year, sixteen-year-old Violet McKenna transfers to the Winterhaven School in New York’s Hudson Valley, inexplicably drawn to the boarding school with high hopes. Leaving Atlanta behind, she’s looking forward to a fresh start--a new school, and new classmates who will not know her deepest, darkest secret, the one she’s tried to hide all her life: strange, foreboding visions of the future. But Winterhaven has secrets of its own, secrets that run far deeper than Violet’s. Everyone there--every student, every teacher--has psychic abilities, 'gifts and talents,' they like to call them. Once the initial shock of discovery wears off, Violet realizes that the school is a safe haven for people like her. Soon, Violet has a new circle of friends, a new life, and maybe even a boyfriend--Aidan Gray, perhaps the smartest, hottest guy at Winterhaven. Only there’s more to Aidan than meets the eye--much, much more. And once she learns the horrible truth, there’s no turning back from her destiny. Their destiny. Together, Violet and Aidan must face a common enemy--if only they can do so without destroying each other first.




Haven begins with Violet, a sixteen year old junior beginning a new school in New York after moving from her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Her step mom got a new job in the city and Violet felt as if something was drawing her to Winterhaven, an exclusive boarding school tucked away from society. Violet immediately felt at home at Winterhaven. Her mom passed on when she was little and her dad was an investigative report who got shot in Afghanistan. Violet, without many friends or family members relishes in her new opportunities to start fresh. Violet's character comes off as a very strong person who has been hurt, but is not quite jaded from those happenings though. She's quite independent and keeps a positive outlook.

Haven is a quick and easy read which I devoured. It has a suspenseful feel to it that caused me to want to continually flip pages without putting the book down. The characters were probably the most amusing feel to the book. I loved the dynamics between Violet and her friends. Cece, Kate, Marissa and Sophie all have different abilities, different personalities and add a different appeal to the book. Cece is Violet's roommate who quickly becomes her best friend. Sophie, also a friend of Cece's was asked to help Violet to some classes on her first day and they'd hungout ever since then, especially considering she was already part of Cece's group, Violet just didn't know it yet. Marissa and Kate finish out the group with reverence.

Violet soon realizes that there's something different about Winterhaven, something she can't quite put her finger on until her friends spill it all, right before she has to go see the headmaster and make her commitment to the school. Violet does so with humility, still completely unsure of what to make out of it all. Violet has always been considered a freak for her visions and no one ever believed her, that is up until now. Winterhaven was full of other kids with abilities, too, all sorts of them and Violet began to feel more at home than ever. I mean, the campus had everything there you could possibly dream of, too. It was perfection...

Enter Aidan Gray: when you're around him, you tend to experience "The Aidan Effect" as Violet's friends had subtly dubbed it. He made girls swoon by simply existing in the same room as them. He and Violet had an instant connection, always finding each other in a crowded room. Their connection was undoubtedly intoxicating. Aidan is hiding far more than Violet realizes and once Violet begins to have violent premonitions of Aidan's death, her and Aidan come to the terms with the facts. It isn't revealed up until about halfway through the book what Aidan exactly is, which I loved. I adored the mystery behind it all, although, you can pretty much guess it. You still never know what kind of twist Kristi Cook is going to throw your way, and trust me, she threw plenty. Violet finds herself awaiting a brand new destiny that could end up ruining her, or the one she loves if not carefully played out. The end scenes were amazing, I love how everyone came together. It was totally brilliant. I'm incredibly impressed by Kristi Cook's debut novel! I can't wait for the sequel coming out in the Summer of 2012!!