13 to Life by Shannon Delany

8/10

Russian werewolves, trust and mean girls seem to be the main thrust of this book. I loved it. I loved the main character... Jessica. She was brave and fierce in her friendships and loyalties to friends who really did not deserve her goodness.

I must admit that the book was just a bit difficult to follow in the beginning. I am not sure why. I think because the author wanted to release slowly all the good parts and bits of the story. So the more I read the more involved I became with the plot and the characters.

Jessica was so afraid of the situations that she was thrust into and yet so brave. That was what was so amazing to me about her character and the way her character was developed by the author. She had witnessed some really sad and awful events and she remained true to her spirit.

The book ended far too soon for me. I wanted to know more about what would happen with her relationships with the Rusokovas... especially Peitr. There are many major trust issues in this novel and some fascinating situations. Jessica has been hurt in her life by the hateful actions of a friend and by the loss of her mother but she still remains trustful of Peitr. She has an attraction to him that she tries valiantly to dismiss but it ultimately seems to overpower both Jessica and Peitr. There are some unique characters within the story. Jessica’s father’s girlfriend Wanda is a bit of an oddity as is her sister Annabelle Lee. But this book has magic and mystery and totally believable characters.

I thoroughly loved reading it.