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Daisy has an electrifying secret that could save her life—or kill herHigh school sophomore Daisy Jones is just trying to get by unnoticed. It doesn’t help that she’s the new girl at school, lives in a trailer park, and doesn’t even own a cell phone. But there’s a good reason for all that: Daisy has a secret, unpredictable power—one only her best friend, Danielle, knows about. Despite her “gift” (or is it a curse?), Daisy’s doing a good job of fitting in, and a gorgeous senior named Kevin even seems interested in her! But when Daisy tries to help Vivi, a mysterious classmate in a crisis, she soon discovers that her new friend has a secret of her own. Now Daisy and her friends must deal with chilling dreams and messages from the beyond. Can Daisy channel the power she’s always tried to hide, before it’s too late? Extra features include:• A short graphic novel telling Vivi’s story• Danielle’s journal, revealing her deepest thoughts • Lyrics and video links for Kevin's music (songs composed by Fredrik Larsson, otherwise known as YouTube sensation FreddeGredde)
mrsinserra
Posted March 27, 2012
This story is mainly about a girl named Daisy who has an extraordinary power, she is electric. She can mess with any electrical device; and has to practice yoga and meditation in order to be able to control her ability.
This story has 4 main characters, 3 girls and a boy, Daisy, Danielle, Vivi, and Kevin. Each of the characters has an important role to play. Daisy is electric, Vivi can talk to a ghost, Kevin is Daisy’s Boyfriend, he is good at research, and has a form of epilepsy that plays into the story, and Danielle is Daisy’s best friend, who feels a bit left out of the group, though she does have the same dreams as Daisy.
Well I don’t want to give the story away, but it was quite good. It started out really slow, and I kept thinking, how is this all going to work together. There is the new kid, Kevin, who has a history of being in a metal institute. Danielle and Daisy who believe they are reincarnated and are both having the same dreams from another life. And Vivi, who communicates with a ghost, but she can communicate with him better if Daisy is around, since Daisy’s electricity helps him to channel.
The story picks up about 1/3 of the way in and the pieces start to come together, but the ending is a twist, one I never saw coming.
I would recommend this book for 6th grade- adult. The characters are in high school, but the reading level is not super difficult. This book would be enjoyable for both a girl and a boy since there is both a lot of action and mystery, but also a bit of romance for the girls.
This book has no swearing, sex, or compromising circumstances. As a teacher of parent, there should not be a problem recommending this book for your kids to read.
I received this book as an ARC. I do not get paid to review books, I do so in order to assist parents and teachers in recommending appropriate books to your kids.
32 out of 33 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.lordofbooks
Posted May 25, 2012
I Also Recommend:
i was excited to read this and was not disappointed. Great read!
14 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Amanda11246
Posted March 28, 2012
“Gift” by Andrea Buchanan is an animated and entertaining read. I enjoyed the characters and found the story intriguing. Daisy must somehow disentangle her dreams and learn to channel her unnatural ability before it is too late. Determining who is a friend or foe is hard enough in high school without including the supernatural. The witty comments keep the atmosphere light while the mystery and suspense keep the reader turning pages. “Gift” is sure to appeal and satisfy a wide range of readers with its assimilated mystery, paranormal, and romance.
Andrea Buchanan delivers an extraordinary tale of suspense with her book, “Gift.” Each character is appealing in his or her own right, which is refreshing and appreciated. Often there is a character that is terribly abrasive or implausibly perfect; this is not the case with Buchanan’s cast. I found myself interested not only in the fate of the group, but quickly became invested in the individuals as well. The similarities between the personas in the dreams and the people in reality are immediately evident making the sequence of the dreams a powerful story narrative. The story effectively transitioned from the dream world to modern day reality while captivating the reader in both realms.
Daisy, our female protagonist, possesses an otherworldly bond with electricity that has forced her to be an outsider her entire life. Daisy’s only friends, Danielle and Vivi, accept Daisy’s condition but never fully embrace its implications. Kevin, Daisy’s love interest, is much more empathetic and relates to her in such a way that ultimately a genuine connection develops. The element that truly unites these individuals, however, is Patrick. Throughout the book, Patrick is an enigma. The characters, along with the reader, question both his existence and his purpose. The cryptic dreams and ambiguous Patrick keep everyone guessing and create quite a compelling plot. I recommend this book to teens and adults alike; the traces of paranormal and romance develop an appealing backdrop for the prevailing mystery genre.
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 6, 2012
Also has its own minecraft map!
6 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.JK1515
Posted May 3, 2012
This book surprised me. I went in expecting it to be mediocre and it was great. I loved everything about it.
The plot was interesting and just complex enough to keep you on your toes. The story drew me in and I couldn't put it down. I found myself switching the pages further and further just to see what would happen.
The characters were average. Daisy and Kevin were developed and I could understand them. Danielle and Vivi were flat one dimensional characters. They could have used a makeover.
Overall, I would recommend this book to all young adults who love to read. The Gift by Andrea Buchanan was a treat to read.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 29, 2012
I have been super book hungry lately. This book was really good. I dn't normally like paranormal books, but this one was really good. I recommend this to teens or mature pre-teens.
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 24, 2012
It was amazing! The author just hooked you right in from the start. I just didn' like chapters 4-9 because they were kind of slow. But then it picks up and then you get the twist ending. So good and I reccomend it for all readers.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 8, 2012
WHERE are all the interactive videos and soundtracks that the ad I saw for this book promised?!?!
2 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 24, 2012
WOW I WANT TO READ THIS BOOK .... 3 OF MY FRIENDS HAVE READ THIS BOOK AND SAYS ITS REALLY GREAT...I CANT WAIT TO START READING IT AFTER SCHOOL TO DAY ...
1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Daisy just wants to be normal, but despite her best efforts she finds that normal is the one thing that she will never be.
This is a great coming of age story with some paranormal aspects. Even though Daisy has powers that normal teenagers do not many of the challenges she faces are the same that other teens face. Such as fitting in, making friends, falling in love, and finding out whom you truly are.
Daisy is a wonderful heroine with a lot of backbone. She’s the kind of person I would love to have as a friend. She’s loyal and even though she doesn’t always make the best decisions she sticks by them.
I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves coming of age stories with a bit of mystery and paranormal aspects.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.ClaireFrith
Posted April 3, 2012
Firstly, let me say I struggled through this. I don't mind ghost stories, and I love paranormal books, but I felt this book was lacking in a few places.
Daisy is basically a loner with one best friend. She has a "gift" which she hides, but it does come in handy in the end. I felt the character's weren't fun enough for this book. I was bored by them most of the time. Daisy's gift, also left me disappointed. The blurb for this book really makes it sound amazing, but I really couldn't get into it.
The killer twist in the end, ALMOST makes up for the rest of the story.
Read it, if only just for the twist :)
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 31, 2012
Normally I’m not a big fan of ghost stories. When it comes to supes my preference is normally witches, vampires, and then werewolves. However, my curiosity got the best of me after I read the synopsis; I became instantly intrigued. I have to say, out of all the books I’ve ever read, Gift has one of the best and most-alluring opening chapters I’ve ever seen. By the time the first chapter ended I was was desperate to read on.
Gift starts off with introducing our main character and heroine, Daisy Jones who is in a serious predicament. She’s been searching throughout her school for a fellow classmate, named Vivi. She finally finds Vivi keeled over in a girl’s bathroom, clutching a bottle of Advil PM. (This is the part where I knew I was instantly hooked.) Vivi:
"“You don’t understand,” she sobbed. “It’s the only way we can be together. I just have to sleep, and then-” She stopped suddenly, focusing her heavy-lidded eyes on a space above my head. “Patrick you came back.” A smile briefly transformed her face as she closed her eyes and slumped to the floor."
Crazy right!? At this point I had a dozen or so questions bubbling in my mind. Was Vivi going to be okay? What drove her to OD? And also, who the heck was Patrick?! At the time I was unaware, but I soon learned that this first chapter was but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the crazy, mysterious, and awesome, that is Gift.
It’s a slight spoiler… but Vivi does end up living through this first incident and in doing so becomes quite close to Daisy, and Daisy’s best friend, Danielle. The three girls quickly discover shared experiences revolving around bizarre dreams and visits with a supernatural entity. Early on in the book we find out that Daisy has a very peculiar “gift” that she constantly wishes she could give back. She’s able to manipulate energy in a some-what uncontrollable way which causes her to steer clear from electronic gadgets such as TVs, celephones, mp3s, etc. in order to hide her anomaly. It surprises everyone including Daisy when they discover her gift is connected to “Patrick” and the weird things that begin to happen.
Gift is all about the three girls, and a boy named Kevin (he comes along later) who are desperately trying to figure out what some crazy shared dreams mean and what “Patrick” really is and wants with the girls. Towards the end I was kind-of able to guess the big revelation, but the majority of the book; I was stumped. I think that Gift’s plot was really unique and I loved how they fit a little Greek mythology into the story. Instead of incorporating Greek characters, the author took a different approach by incorporating Greek themes instead.
I give this book a 3/5 star rating because there’s some parts I didn’t care for. For instance, I mentioned that the first chapter hooked me right in, however the chapters following were kind of a slump for me. The story was moving very slowly and only my deep need to know what or who “Patrick” was, kept me going. I was also confused in how Gift ended in the sense that I wasn’t sure if we could expect a sequel or some type of continuation. I really hope there is another book because Daisy had a tiny, family revelation and it never really played out. If there is another book I’m anxious to see if we get more on that development.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Gift gives you a little of everything. It’s a Paranormal, Mystery, Sci-Fi, mixed with rock-n-roll, a little Greek mythology, and even has two novels within as it includes an extra graphic short story. Andrea J. Buchanan definitely created an intriguing storyline that had me flipping pages to find the answers to the mystery who, what, and where in this novel. The four teenagers were fun and cute characters. Buchanan mashed different genres together to give a fantastic new twist in this Paranormal.
Daisy has just started school at Castle Creek High, and is hoping to keep her gift under control. Daisy also has a best friend, Danielle, who knows about her gift, but when Daisy is asked to help Vivi, who is more than a little strange, all three girls are going to find out they’re connected to each other, and the connection is a deadly one. When Daisy meets Kevin, who’s a senior, he will become the brains that help the girls to figure out their connection to each other and to Stone House.
Daisy and Kevin also make a connection—a love connection. Kevin is a super great guy when it comes to Daisy. He’s definitely committed to her, and he would have to be when Daisy has a sarcastic best friend like Danielle. Danielle’s mouth never stops, but I do love this girl. She has no problem voicing her opinion.
Gift is an enjoyable, fun read with these four teenagers. Plus with Vivi's graphic short story and Danielle’s journal and Kevin's song that he sang to Daisy at the end of this novel you get a more in-depth look into the characters' personality. I recommend Gift as a great read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 7, 2013
Gift by Andrea J. Buchanan is a very interesting read. Many supernatural stories seem to have similar traits. The characteristics that are frequently used include reading minds, vampires, werewolves, witches, and demons. In this story the main character has a gift of controlling electricity. Ok so she really has not learned much control. She is easy to relate to. I also found I was intrigued by her interactions with the other characters. When she was excited I found I was excited. When she was mad, I was mad, but for a different reason. When she was sad, I was always a little sad as well. Any author who can evict emotions from a reader is an author that will be added to my favorites list.
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Posted April 3, 2013
I liked the concept of the novel, but there were some things about this book that completely failed. First off, the opening chapters were confusing. It felt like a romance brewing between Daisy and Vivi (because of Daisy’s obsession with the other girl) and then it abruptly switched to a very long explanation about Daisy’s powers. There were quite a few instances where the author said what was happening rather than letting the story reveal the plot. I felt very confused for most of the book, as the reader is left purposely in the dark about very important plot details. I would have rather had some of it revealed early on into the book so I had some inclination as to why the characters acted like they did.
I understood that Daisy wasn’t able to use electronic devices, but how could she have survived high school with the high usage of computers in the classrooms. Students today can’t avoid computers or televisions or calculators. Not in a public school. I don’t buy how someone could have not figured it out. How does she type up her reports? Pass a typing class? Research in the library (most documents are electronically recorded)? Also, it did bother me that Daisy could use a house phone. It was a normal everyday phone. If the author wanted to be somewhat plausible, then she would have made Daisy use a rotary phone. It’s still electronic, but it doesn’t run by a computer chip like every other gadget that Daisy messes up.
The subplot involving Mr. Terry wasn’t handled logically. There is no way that a male teacher would ever house a female student in his home, especially without getting explicit permission from the principal. I have several family members who are teachers and if these exact circumstances happened to them, they might house such student over-night if that student was on the street. But only a single night and come morning the principal would immediately be made aware of the situation. If the student wouldn’t return home, then CPS would be called. And even if the teacher was stupid enough to house a student of the opposite sex at their home for a prolong period of time, once the principal was informed of the situation, the teacher would immediately be suspended fired for not notifying the principal. It doesn’t matter what the person who ‘told the principal’ said. The simple fact is that the teacher was not acting appropriate.
I just don’t think that there was enough research done to make sure that the events that happened in the book were plausible. And for that reason alone, I think I have to give this book a very low rating. It’s not the worst book I’ve ever read, but it’s one that I surely won’t ever recommend. Still, the author does show potential to write a much better book. I might still check out another book by Andrea Buckanan. (F+)
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher/Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.)
Anonymous
Posted March 11, 2013
I recomand this book to teens who love a good paranormal story. This book has no swearing, sex, or compromising circumstances. There should be no problem recommending this book to your kids. Hope you like it:D
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Overall I give it a 4.4 out of 5 .. Fun, unique paranormal read!
Plot (4/5):
This definitely wasn't your average YA paranormal book. With a unique plot and strong, entertaining and very likeable characters. Daisy's struggle to remain normal and keep her secret hidden becomes difficult while she and her friends try to discover the reason behind the paranormal ties that bind them together. It keeps you guessing!
Characters (4/5):
The characters are so fun. You've got Daisy the main character who's struggling with a "gift" that is dangerous unless she stays in constant control of her emotions and the ability itself. Which is enough to keep anyone in a constant state of worry and stress. Danielle her BFF is so funny and sarcastic I love her. The things that come out of her mouth at times adds enjoyable entertainment factors to the situation. Vivi is your classic mess that you can't help but want to take care of. Kevin is sweet and caring and really comes through for Daisy. Even Mr Terry one of their teachers has his comedic moments and Daisy's mom has her moments of coolness. It's got a well rounded cast.
Pacing (5/5):
I feel like everything moved along pretty fluidly. There wasn't a time really where I was feeling it was sluggish.
Ending (5/5):
So the ending was great. I was very pleased with how things wound up. And the last bit at the very end was so cute and sweet. A real "awww" type of moment!
Overall Satisfaction (4/5):
I really liked this book. The characters were likeable and except for a few times here and there when I wanted to strangle one or all of them at some point. But that's pretty much true about any book I've read. Seeing something going on as the person reading and observing and you want to scream at these people "Oh my gosh how can you not see this happening?!" But if they did... it would make for a more boring story am I right? It was a lot of fun to read and discover how everything and everyone tied together. I would more than likely read this book again and I recommend it to paranormal lovers out there!
Anonymous
Posted October 22, 2012
Fun read, good mystery, well developed characters. This is a well written supernatural mystery wot checking out. I enjoyed the characters and story development and pace.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 19, 2012
Dont talk about sex you idiots!!
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 11, 2012
Takes him pants and underwear off his penis springs up
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
Daisy has an electrifying secret that could save her life—or kill herHigh school sophomore Daisy Jones is just trying to get by unnoticed. It doesn’t help that she’s the new girl at school, lives in a trailer park, and doesn’t even own a cell phone. But there’s a good reason for all that: Daisy has a secret, unpredictable power—one only her best friend, Danielle, knows about. Despite her “gift” (or is it a curse?), Daisy’s doing a good job of fitting in, and a gorgeous ...