Numbers by Rachel Ward

Title: Numbers (Numbers #1)
Author: Rachel Ward | Website
Publisher: Chicken House
Release Date: February 1st 2010 
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Library
Rating: ♥♥♥♥ [4]
Challenge: --

Ever since she was child, Jem has kept a secret: Whenever she meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die. Burdened with such awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. The two plan a trip to the city. But while waiting to ride the Eye Ferris wheel, Jem is terrified to see that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today's number. Today's date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem's world is about to explode!

This book took me by surprise as it was not what I expected it to be at all. The summary on the cover flap can be misleading as that is not what this book is about. I was expecting a thriller/conspiracy/science-fiction story but this story actually focused a lot on the romance between our two main protagonists Jem and Spider.

I found the concept of this story interesting: girl who can see the death dates of other people; but I thought that Rachel Ward could do a little more with it.  I picked this book up because the concept reminded me of the popular anime Death Note. I liked where Rachel Ward was going with the story at the beginning as I was expecting a thriller but it all turned into romance (that can be good too). The story is heavily based around the concepts of death, fate, and destiny and questions whether we control our own fates or if our fates are already predetermined. I found that these concepts made me think throughout the course of reading this book. The overall feel of the book was very dark. I think that the book set a good pace in the beginning but the story felt rushed towards the end and it felt like all the loose ends were trying to be tied up really quickly. Sadly, I don't think the ending was as strong as the start.

The romance was great! However I wish there was more development to it. I really loved Jem and Spider's relationship and how Jem developed as a character throughout the story. There relationship with one another was heartwarming and at the same time heartbreaking. I found the ending to be shocking and abrupt. The cliff hanger at the end of the story made me want the run and grab the second book in the series, Chaos.

I also really enjoyed Rachel Ward's writing style. It was descriptive yet not over the top and easy to follow. As Rachel Ward is an English author I had to grab the dictionary several times in order to understand some words. I'll be on the lookout for more of her books!

-Quote-

“Nothing makes any sense. Nothing means anything. You're born, you live, you die. That's it.” -Numbers by Rachel Ward

Overall, Numbers was an enjoyable book. It was an interesting concept although the story didn’t play out as I thought it would. I will be picking up and reviewing the second book Chaos to see what happens next!

-Stella♥