Central Avenue Publishing, May 1, 2016.
Four Stars
Casey is a bright and vibrant student, backpacking
with friends when she contracts a deadly tropical disease. Her condition leads
to cardiac failure, and she is in desperate and sudden need of a heart
transplant. Casey’s parents are devastated, and begin to say their goodbyes to
their only daughter – but at the last minute, a viable heart is found and Casey
is given a second chance at life.
Healthwise, Casey is back to normal after completing
the required rehabilitation – but emotionally, she is like a completely
different person. Quiet and withdrawn, Casey begins to avoid her family. Her
agoraphobia is brought on by fear and the violent nightmares that keep her
awake at night. She resorts to extreme measures to stay awake, including drugs
and other borderline criminal activities – even her job as a computer hacker
straddles the line of legitimate work, catching the attention of local police.
However, no matter what she does, the night terrors continue to get worse.
After Casey injures herself while in the midst of a
nightmare, her grandfather comes to live with her in order to monitor her health.
With his help, Casey decides that the only way the nightmares will stop is if
she discovers their source once and for all. She begins a frantic search to get
to the root of the problem, putting her health and wellbeing at risk once
again. Along the way, Casey makes a shocking discovery about the donor of her
heart, who was killed in suspicious and potentially violent circumstances. As
she delves deeper, Casey realizes that her dreams may be based in reality, and
she cannot trust anyone around her.
There’s not much else I can say without spoiling the
fun of letting this thriller unfold for the reader. Casey’s story has great
pacing – it’s plot-driven, but also has interesting characters, even in the
background. The medical and technological issues are not completely explained
in a convincing way, but it didn’t matter because the story was fun and
exciting enough to carry me along. The novel is packed with intrigue, terror
and villains, and even though there are paranormal aspects, it’s easy to
suspend disbelief and just go with it. It also happens to have an Australian
setting, and the backdrop of Melbourne and the surrounding areas are interesting
while not distracting from the story. The
Recipient has its flaws, but the entertainment value makes it well worth the
read.
I received this book from Central Avenue Publishing
and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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