Review: Lightbringer by K.D. McEntire

Book: Lightbringer by K.D. McEntire
Genre: Urban Fantasy  / Young Adult
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository
Available Formats: Ebook / Hardcover
Publication Date: November 15th, 2011 (PYR)
First Sentence: "Piotr hefted the newest box of loot and hauled it to the back of the mill floor, wrestling it into their makeshift pantry with effort."
How Did I Get This Book: ARC From Publisher, For Review
Description: The Never is a place of greys, a world a breath beyond our own, layered just past the memories of yesterday and the fleeting present moment. It is here, in this dismal limbo, that ghosts such as Piotr, Lily, and Elle must sort out an existence, both protecting the children called Lost and themselves from the walking darkness that is the army of rotting Walkers.

Caught between her duty to her calling as the Lightbringer and her concern for her new ghostly friends, Wendy must walk the line between the two worlds, aiding Piotr in his fight against the Walkers as well as searching out the wandering soul of the one who means the most to her. Time, however, is running out and in the end... who will she choose? 

The story of Lightbringer was incredibly creative. Wendy is a lightbringer; she sends lingering spirits to rest.  When her mother’s spirit goes missing, Wendy makes it her mission to find it and return her to safety. At the same time, Piotr is having problems of his own. Piotr is a rider; a teenage ghost that oversees the safety of several ghost children.  One by one, the ghost children are being kidnapped and Piotr and his friend have no idea why. Wendy and Piotr meet and they decide to help each other out with their mysteries. I am over simplifying this, but you get the gist of it. 

Wendy is an interesting character, but she wasn’t terribly memorable. I just did not feel that connection that you want to feel with characters. I felt the same about the overall book. Like I said, I found it undeniably creative, but I would not classify it as a page-turner.  When I put the book down, my fingers didn’t itch to pick it up again. I didn’t have to force myself to read slower, so that I didn’t miss anything. I was interested in the book, I just wasn’t captivated by it.

I also wasn’t too fond of Eddie (Wendy’s best friend).  But for the life of me, I cannot exactly tell you why. To me, he was presented as Wendy’s alternative to Piotr, more than her partner in crime. He is meant to be her best friend, who wants more out of the relationship. But I struggled to really figure him out. At times he flirts with Wendy, but then follows it up with a joke. So, like Wendy, I was confused about where he stood.  

I would love to see more of Wendy's family in next book. I am interested in seeing how Wendy’s siblings play into the upcoming story arcs. I doubt Jon has any paranormal abilities (it seems to be a girl thing), but I wonder if Chel’s powers will ever awaken.  That would present an interesting story arc.

I enjoyed Lightbringer by K.D. McEntire, I just didn’t love it. It was a rather creative story, but I found it to be a bit slow at times. I was impressed with how unpredictable the story was. I left like there were twists and turns around every corner. That coupled with the creative storyline, McEntire was able to create a rather impressive book.The characters and storyline were interesting; I just wasn’t pulled into the book. Still, it was entertaining and I will be keeping an eye out for the upcoming books.

Favorite Quotes

Some days, he thought there were definite benefits to being dead.

"Hush your mouth, everyone needs to laugh at death a little, else all you can do is cry."

The rest of her whispered danger, but a living girl had seen him, had recognized him for what he was, and that was a siren call Piotr was unwilling to resist.

This strange girl would be the undoing of him, Piotr mused silently, before nodding.

Come hell or high water, Wendy intended to help.

Piotr's voice was low, almost indistinguishable from the steady rush of blood in her veins, the soft whoosh of her breath.

Wendy leaned into his touch like a plant seeking the sunlight and he chuckled, deep and low, a rumble in his chest that Wendy felt in her fingertips.

Part of her knew doing this, chasing after those electric kisses, was courting death, but she felt fearless and wild, unbreakably young.