Date Published: 5/27/2013
To tell the truth...it doesn’t really matter if you lie.
It’s impossible to lie to Derry MacKenna. For as long as she can remember, Derry has been plagued by the extraordinary ability to hear, see, and feel the truth. But when Derry and her erratic, self-centered mother move to historic Harpers Ferry, she discovers she is not the only one with hidden talents.
As the newest reporter on the school newspaper, Derry learns of a high school student’s unexpected suicide and recognizes that the truth behind her death may still be hidden. When tragedy strikes, Derry is drawn into a deadly battle of wits with the only person whom her abilities don’t affect.
Driven by guilt and an obsession with bringing the killer to justice, Derry finds herself in danger from a vindictive murderer, a sadistic deviant who preys on the weak, and trapped in the middle of a treacherous triangle of attraction between two brothers whose abilities rival her own. Derry must trust her instincts to guide her to the truth and bring her enemies to justice even as she fights for her own survival.
INSTINCT focuses on a gifted, intelligent, and loyal heroine who must contend not only with the inherent dangers of high school bullying and backstabbing, but with loss, grief, and guilt. Against issues of sexual abuse, teenage suicide, and destructive relationships, the heroine learns to cherish the strength of real friendship, understand accountability, and experiences the healing touch of first love.
"This is competently written and well-paced, and the author does an excellent job of exploring what a gift like Derry's would mean in real life...Most refreshing is the severing of several YA tropes in interesting and welcome ways."
--- Publishers Weekly
My Review:
What a "gift" Derry has. Who hasn't wanted to be able to tell if someone was lying to their face before? But have you ever thought about what that would actually truly entail for your life? The way that Mattie Dunman portrays Derry's life and her experiences with her gift is believable and intriguing.
The plot is fast paced to keep the reader engaged but not too fast to where you feel like you lose yourself along the way. The mixture of the genre's really worked in this story. It reminded me of a book I've read by Heather Topham Wood. I really did enjoy this story.
The plot is fast paced to keep the reader engaged but not too fast to where you feel like you lose yourself along the way. The mixture of the genre's really worked in this story. It reminded me of a book I've read by Heather Topham Wood. I really did enjoy this story.
Mattie Dunman is a lifelong resident of "Wild & Wonderful" West Virginia, and has dreamed of being a writer since she first held a pen in hand.
Mattie has pursued several useless degrees to support this dream, and presently enjoys teaching (or tormenting, as the case may be) college students the dying art of public speaking. She spends most of her free time writing, but also indulges in reading and traveling.
She is the proud owner of an adorably insane American Eskimo named Finn, and a tyrant cat named Bella, who take up more of her attention than they probably should.
Please visit Mattie's website at www.mattiedunman.com
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