Warped

Author: Maurissa Guibord
Publisher: Random House
Released: January 11, 2011
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Tessa's father buys a bunch of old books at an auction - and Tessa finds one really old book and a tapestry among the lot, a tapestry which doesn't act the way tapestries usually do. Whenever Tessa touches it, she has these weird dreams - as if she's traveled back in time. And then when Tessa pulls one thread, Will - sixteenth-century Will - transforms from the unicorn in the tapestry to a boy, living and breathing in Tessa's own room. Together, Tessa and Will try to figure out how to set things straight, dealing with the witch Gray Lily who started the whole mess and with the Norn, the three sisters who weave Fate and want their threads back.

I like the style of writing in the book, the way the words flow and bring events to life. But the book as a whole didn't really work for me. First of all, I felt like the romance was forced. It didn't develop naturally, and it felt like it was included because it's one of the essential elements of a YA paranormal novel. Which would lead me to think that the paranormal/fantasy/mythological parts would be played up instead, but I was disappointed there too. I wanted more explanation of how things worked, how Gray Lily could have stolen the threads, why some people could see the threads of life and not others, and most especially how things worked out in the end. But that was all glossed over. And one more area I felt was lacking was the proactive element. Tessa doesn't really do  anything, and neither does Will. Things happen to them, and yes, they fight their way out of trouble brilliantly, but I like seeing my heroes/heroines take matters into their own hands, and I felt like they were basically passive for most of the book.

So all in all, this was an okay book, but not one I'm likely to revisit.