Oblivion

Oblivion

Oblivion 

by Sasha Dawn

Coming May 27th, 2014

(Thank you Liberty Bay Books for the ARC!)

One year ago, Callie was found in an abandoned apartment, scrawling words on the wall: "I KILLED HIM. His blood is on my hands. His heart is in my soul. I KILLED HIM." But she remembers nothing of that night or of the previous thirty-six hours. All she knows is that her father, the reverend at the Church of the Holy Promise, is missing, as is Hannah, a young girl from the parish. Their disappearances have to be connected and Callie knows that her father was not a righteous man.

Since that fateful night, she's been plagued by graphomania -- an unending and debilitating compulsion to write. The words that flow from Callie's mind and through her pen don't seem to make sense -- until now. As the anniversary of Hannah's vanishing approaches, more words and memories bubble to the surface and a new guy in school might be the key to Callie putting together the puzzle. But digging up the secrets she's buried for so long might be her biggest mistake. 

I think this is probably the most excited I have been to write a review in a while! I finished My Life Next Door before I even started this book however my feelings were so mixed and neutral towards it I have decided not to review it because I really didn't feel one way or another towards it and I don't know what I would even write in a review for it. Oblivion however, dang. I have plenty to say and I have plenty of feels to express! So get ready for this folks it's going to be quite the review...

Can I just start off mentioning that this is a "psychological thriller." I think we need to pause for a moment to take note of the fact that this is two of the best things ever combined into one awesomesauce book. Ok that was a good moment, I just needed to establish that. Now here we go, story line. It was original and stunning. It hooked you and kept you hooked all the way through. The story line and the characters were surprisingly relateable despite the wholly unrelateable scenario. The emotions were strong, vivid, real and relateable. We all know what it's like to have inner family issues, to have issues with teachers and staff at school occasionally because of something we can't even control, or to have people not believe you, and treat you differently because of something that makes us different and is beyond out control. The viscous rumors, the complicated relationships and family/friend drama, all of these little things are the things that make such a horrid and surreal scenario feel real, realateable, and like it could happen to us or our loved ones someday. And that just adds to the thrill and creepiness of the story. The character development wasn't overwhelmingly strong or obvious, but it was enough, it worked for the story and played out nicely enough. Callie was lovable, in fact despite some major flaws and screw ups, almost all the characters made you just love them, from John/Jon and Callie to Elijah, Lindsay and Serena. They were well balanced between flaws and goodness and had real and strong emotions, connections, relationships and roles. And yes, there was a love triangle however for once I loved, LOVED, the love triangle! Crazy I know, but here is why: 1) It made sense it was logical that she was torn because of the sticky situation she was in. 2) It actually enhanced the story in my opinion and added vivid emotions that fit into the story that then enhanced and deepened your understanding of Callie, her thoughts and emotions, her situation, and what it everything was like for her. 3) It didn't distract or take away from the story at all and it didn't feel like it was just thrown in there to be thrown in. 4) It felt like if you took out the love triangle then the book just simply wouldn't be as good and the whole thing would just fall apart and make no sense with out it. Like you couldn't even have the same plot line or resolution if the love triangle hadn't been a factor. 5) It was wrapped up realistically, logically, and beautifully. 6) It enhanced each character that was involved and added to their depth and development. So yeah I approve this love triangle. The plot was killer! It was well paced and kept you guessing the entire time. Honestly, there was never a single point in the book where I felt like I knew what was going to happen let alone was actually right about how something was going to play out or how things were connected. Actually, I take that back there was one thing, but for the most part, like 99.9% of the time I had no idea. It was amazing. Oblivion was one of those books where the plot had you hooked and the characters had you in love and just everything was so vivid and crazy that you simply couldn't bear the thought of putting it down. I read it in one sitting. The writing was really good. It was clear and had great descriptions. Sasha is amazingly skilled, with the stunning and complex plot, beautifully handled and developed characters, and she handled the graphomania with amazing skill., depth, and detail, you could tell she had really, really done her research. And she managed to slip in amazing statements, messages, and themes about society, social life, life as a teen, and just life in general! Oblivion was fabulous, Sasha was awesomesauce and I admire her work and skills. This book is 5 out of 5 stars hands down with my highest recommendation and I can't wait to read more of Sasha's work. It is one of the best books I have read and a must, must read! Buy it through Liberty Bay Books by clicking the hyper-linked title under the cover and add it on Goodreads.