Title: Sacred by Elana K. Arnold
Series: First book in the Sacred series
Genre: YA, contemporary (slight paranormal) romance
Available formats: Ebook, and hardback
Details: Published Nov 13th, 2012, 368 Pages
Source: For review for book tour with Jean Book Tours

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Growing up on Catalina Island, off the California coast, Scarlett Wenderoth has led a fairly isolated life. After her brother dies, her isolation deepens as she withdraws into herself, shutting out her friends and boyfriend. Her parents, shattered by their own sorrow, fail to notice Scarlett's pain and sudden alarming thinness. Scarlett finds pleasure only on her horse, escaping to the heart of the island on long, solitary rides. One day, as she races around a bend, Scarlett is startled by a boy who raises his hand in warning and says one word: "Stop."

The boy—intense, beautiful—is Will Cohen, a newcomer to the island. For reasons he can't or won't explain, he's drawn to Scarlett and feels compelled to keep her safe. To keep her from wasting away. His meddling irritates Scarlett, though she can't deny her attraction to him. As their relationship blossoms into love, Scarlett's body slowly awakens at Will's touch. But just when her grief begins to ebb, she makes a startling discovery about Will, a discovery he's been grappling with himself. A discovery that threatens to force them apart. And if it does, Scarlett fears she will unravel all over again.

I really enjoyed Sacred. It sure did end up a much 'deeper' read than I thought it was going to be, but that made it an even more intense story! I read this book in one sitting and can say I am definitely excited to see where book two will go.

Sacred follows Scarlett who is slowly turning into nothing, she is grasping at straws but nothing is helping her move on from her brothers death. Her father puts on a fake front, and her mother barely acknowledges her. The only comfort she is finding in life is going to the stables and riding her horse Delilah. Then she meets Will who seems to be showing up everywhere, at first she is annoyed by his presence, but eventually he will turn into the one person that can bring her back to life..but if he leaves Scarlett..she may fall completely off the ledge.

This was quite the mysterious read! Which I personally loved, I hate when books are predictable! Sacred thankfully kept my attention and kept me wondering till well past the last page. Will is so mysterious and you have no idea what he is up to, is he a vampire or something? A Ghost? Werewolf? He thankfully is not any of those things, but something completely different that if you want to find out..well you'll just have to read Sacred! Sacred kept me on the edge of my seat, I was never quite sure what was going to happen to Scarlett!

Scarlett was an unpredictable character that literally shocked me at some points while reading. I found myself so worried about her, which to me just shows what a great writer the author Elana is. It was very easy to connect to Scarlett, and really feel what she was feeling. Besides the great character to reader aspect, I also really loved Elana's imagery, I usually don't like long descriptions or detailed scenery, but Elana's were so beautiful and so easy to imagine that I found those parts of the book actually being my favorite...compared to my least favorite for a change.

ANNNDDDD last but certainly not least there was Will our love interest! I really enjoyed Will, I felt for a YA character he was very mature, he never once annoyed me or made me role my eyes at the things he said. I found him to be quite an interesting character too that kept my attention. He cared alot for Scarlett and really just wanted her to be happy. Overall he was just a great love interest and I am looking forward to seeing him and Scarlett's relationship progress in book two, Splendor! 

All in all, I really enjoyed Sacred, the writing was amazing, it had great main characters, and completely      captivated me till I finished the book. The only complaint I  have is that normally I don't enjoy any religion references in books which this one has quite often, but that is just a personal pet peeve with me, and even with the religion talk I still really enjoyed this. If you are looking for a YA novel that is something a little different  but awesome, I suggest picking up Sacred. (:

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ELANA K. ARNOLD completed her M.A. in Creative Writing/Fiction at the University of California, Davis. She grew up in Southern California, where she was lucky enough to have her own horse--a gorgeous mare named Rainbow--and a family who let her read as many books as she wanted. She lives in Long Beach, California, with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. She is represented by Rubin Pfeffer of the East/West Literary Agency. Sacred is her debut novel.