Meridian By Amber Kizer

***4.5 Stars***

I loved this book!  It was an exciting read from front to back!  Meridian by Amber Kizer is about a 16 year old girl named Meridian Sozu.  She desperately wants to be "normal".  Unfortunately, she has been anything but since the day she was born.  As a small child she always awoke in the morning sharing her bed with an assortment of dead insects and small animals.  As she got older the dying animals continued seeking her.  Death is her constant companion and the dying are drawn to her.  She never understood why this was happening to her or why she was always sick and in pain until the day of her 16th birthday.  After witnessing a horrific car crash she was immediately debilitated by intense pain and a sense of dying.  It was then that her father came to her rescue and drove her from the scene.  He was frantic to get her away from not only the crash site but from her family as well.  He told her that she was a fenestra (half angel/ half human) and that she was in grave danger.  He also told her that she had to leave right away to go live with her "Auntie" in Colorado.  There she could learn more about what she is and how to protect herself from the unknown danger that is after her.  She arrives in Colorado heartbroken, confused and sad.  It is in this small town of Revelation, Colorado that she learns the truth about what she is, what she is destined to do and that everything in this small forgotten town is not what it seems.  Fortunately, she is no longer alone in her journey.  She meets Tens, a handsome teenage boy that helps take care of Auntie and also happens to be Meridian's sworn protector.  Together with Tens and Auntie, Meridian must face her destiny and find a way to restore the balance of good and evil in a war that she never knew existed.

Amber Kizer's Meridian is a fast-paced story that includes danger, intrigue, romance, spirituality and hope!  I enjoyed the refreshingly original story line and feel that the author did a great job with making the characters likable and believable.  The book's unique take on death and the afterlife will give its readers something to think about.  What a wonderful start to a new YA paranormal series!  Teens and adults alike will be hungry for the next installment!