Review: Grasping at Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper

Title: Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily Series #1)

Author: Karen Amanda Hooper

Published: May 25th 2012 by Starry Sky Publishing

Book Description:

Leave it to Maryah Woodsen to break the one rule that will screw up eternity: Never erase your memories.

Before entering this life, Maryah did the unthinkable—she erased. Now, at seventeen years old, she’s clueless that her new adoptive family has known her for centuries, that they are perpetually reincarnated souls, and that they have supernatural abilities. Oh, and she's supposed to love (not despise) Nathan, the green-eyed daredevil who saved her life.

Nathan is convinced his family’s plan to spark Maryah's memory is hopeless, but his love for her is undying. After spending (and remembering) so many lifetimes together, being around an empty version of his soulmate is heart shattering. He hates acting like a stalker, but has no choice because the evil outcast who murdered Maryah in their last lifetime is still after her.

While Maryah’s hunter inches closer, she and Nathan make assumptions and hide secrets that rip them further apart. Maryah has to believe in the magic within her, Nathan must have faith in the power of their love, and both need to grasp onto the truth before they lose each other forever—and discover just how lonely eternity can be.

My Thoughts:

It’s been a while since I’ve written a review since I’ve been busy lately. So when I asked The Unseelienerd to assign me a book, this was one of the few she gave me. I honestly have no idea what this is all about since I didn’t even read the blurb. It was like plunging myself into the darkness wherein I have no idea what will happen, and I was definitely not disappointed at all.

The story starts wherein Maryah’s family was murdered by men who were after her, but unfortunately, she wasn’t the same “Mary” who lived a lot of lifetimes before, that’s why that’s why they didn’t recognized her. She erased before she was reincarnated again, therefore she has zero memory of her past lives, including her soulmate.

What really hooked me in this book was the writing style. The words just effortlessly flow that it was easy to understand and was actually engaging. All the characters were lovable, but the ones I loved the most were the supporting characters like Carson, Faith, Louise and Krista. The plot, although not new, was taken to a whole new level. I’ve read books about soulmates and reincarnations, but this was definitely something new to me.

I actually felt sad for Nathan, Maryah’s soulmate who’s been heartbroken because his other half couldn’t even remember their past, most especially the love that they’ve shared. He only stayed in the background, silently watching her.

Maryah was broken after what had happened to her family, and being with her new adoptive family helped her pick up the pieces, and it’s touching that everyone really showed her how much they cared for her.

The only things I didn’t like were the slow pacing of the story and the predictable parts (which I’m not going to spoil). 80% of the book was about Maryah trying to figure out her past and Nathan being emo. I just felt that everything was so slow and I was getting impatient as I read because I want some conflict and some action to the story. Nevertheless, I was still able to finish it until the end.

Grasping Eternity was a light read, and I’ll be looking forward to read the next book to find out more about everyone.

I give this book 3.5 whales