Book Review - The White Aura

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! I know I'm late but better late than never, right? Today, I bring you another review from my Indie Fever, 2013, reading challenge. If you'd like to check out the participants and read some of the reviews, you may do so by clicking the challenge name above. Without dragging this out any further, I give you my review of The White Aura (book one) by Felicia Tatum.

Title: The White Aura (book one)
Genre: YA Paranormal
Author: Felicia Tatum
Print Length:  221 pages
Link to Amazon: $2.99

Book Description from Amazon:
How do you live with the gut clenching truth that the one you love will die if you meet them? Twenty year old sorcerer Scott Tabors is learning how. After seeing seventeen year old Olivia Whitehead outside of a coffee shop, his heart will never be the same. He longs for her, he wants her, and he knows she will be his. They are heart mates. …but due to a curse on his family, he can’t meet her. Not yet. So for now, he visits her in her dreams. Her dreams where he can tell her everything but his name.

Olivia Whitehead is a typical junior in high school. She and her best friend are having the time of their lives, but she can’t help but notice the changes happening to her. Especially the changes in her heart after she begins dreaming about a mysterious dark haired young man. But what will happen when the school heartthrob decides he wants Olivia? Will she realize the dream man is real or will she move on?

I bought this book back in December of 2012 during my Indie Authors! Sell Me Your Book! party. After reading an excerpt, I was hooked by the story. The White Aura is a fun YA read that will keep you on the edge of your seat; wondering what's going to happen next.

From a reader's perspective:
I fell in love with Olivia and her quirky ways. She snagged me with her humor and her love for her best friend, J. It was believable that Olivia was meeting a strange boy in her dreams and pined after him while awake. I wasn't too keen on her mom and dad never being around. It kinda made me mad that they weren't the loving parents this witty child deserved. Scott, the love interest, was painted as the perfect boyfriend in every way. The story even goes so far as to have him weaken when he isn't around Olivia. I like it when characters have just a few flaws. While Scott is a sorcerer and is bound to Olivia because of a mystical occurrence that only happens to his kind, it still struck me as odd that he never even looked at another girl before he saw Olivia. That being said, the secondary characters were really well done, and I look forward to learning more about them in future installments of the series. The White Aura does a fine job of tying up loose ends for the story being told, but leaves a few things in question that I hope are answered later on.

From an editor's perspective:
This book has so much potential to be a best-selling series; but the lack of editing (by a professional) left me putting it down now and then because I was thrown out of the story. As with many novels, pronouns needed some work. Misspelled words appeared now and then, punctuation could use a tweak or two, and dialogue was stilted. It really just needs a strong polish by a good editor.

My rating:
+1 Star for characters I could really wrap my head around.
+1 Star for giving me an excellent storyline that was paced well.
+1 Star for making me want to read another installment.
-1 Star for perfectionism in a character that was begging for a flaw.
-1 Star for editing errors.

Overall, 3 out of 5 stars. Not too shabby! I recommend this read if you enjoy tales of sorcerers and love.

I hope you'll all download the sample and give it a shot.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo