Pull by Anne Riley Published by Spencer Hill Press on 2/2/16
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal
Pages: 424
Source: Blog Tour
My content rating: YA (Nothing more than kissing)
My rating:
Rosie Clayton witnesses a mugging on her first night in London—and then the scene rewinds itself.
She finds herself standing in the same place again, with the mugging happening just like before, except this time a stranger steps in and stops it. There's no way the same incident can have two outcomes. Rosie thinks she’s losing her mind, until just a few days later, the stranger saves her.
The stranger, Albert, and his band of misfit crime-fighters, have the special ability to Pull, which allows them to rewind just enough time to undo a recent event. Someone is hunting Albert and his crew– and now that Rosie’s been seen with them, she’s a target too. Rosie is left with no choice but to trust Albert to keep her safe.
As Rosie learns more about this unbelievable ability and the people – if you can call them that – who want them dead, she discovers that the group’s desire for her blood might be more than mere coincidence. Each step into this magical side of London introduces Rosie to a family history that she never knew existed, and dangerous forces that could unravel her world in an instant.
Her family may be the reason they’re all being hunted—and she may be the only one who can figure out how to save them. Sure, between the lot of them, they have a few shots to get it right. The thing about Pulling, though, is you have to be alive to do it.
Pull was an intriguing paranormal time travel tale. The book had me hooked right from the very start when I wanted to learn all of Rosie’s grandpa’s secrets!
What Fed My Addiction:
- Family. This book had a really strong focus on family that you don’t see often in YA. Not everything was picture perfect (especially with Rosie’s relationship with her brother Paul), but the family dynamics did ring true. Rosie had a strong bond with her grandparents – I think that was probably the healthiest of the relationships. Her relationships with her parents was somewhat strained, partially due to the issues that her brother was having and everyone’s various ways of dealing with those. But, even though the relationships weren’t perfect. Rosie does lie to her parents (as teenagers often do), but the book never feels cut off from the family and those relationships and the guilt she feels over lying to them still feel central to the story.
- Pulling. I loved the concept of being able to go back in time just a few minutes to fix something. Who wouldn’t want to do that every now and again! Of course, Rosie and the mysterious people she meets can’t just pull for the fun of it or because they don’t like the outcome of that conversation they just had. Pulling takes a huge amount of energy, so it has to be reserved for true emergencies. And since there are some big bads out to get Rosie, there are plenty of opportunities to use it!
- Albert. When Rosie meets the mysterious Albert she knows that something is different about him. She also knows that something went haywire in her mind when her grandfather died – she just can’t believe what she thinks is happening! Albert ends up being her lifeline – the person who helps her make sense of it all and eventually becomes more. I LOVED that the romance in this book was nothing close to instalove. It felt real – like a couple truly starting out.
What Left Me Wanting More:
- Bit slow in the middle. Not sure if it was just me, but the pacing felt a little bit off in the middle of the book. There was a period of time where Rosie was mostly trying to learn more about her ability and understand the people she was up against, and I started to feel like the book got a bit slow there. It picked WAY up at the end, though and gave us a spectacular finish!
If you’re a fan of paranormal tales, then you should definitely give this one a read! I loved that it was something different and that the character relationships took center stage. I give this book 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.**
About the Author:
Anne Riley is an author of young adult fiction cleverly disguised as a high school Spanish teacher. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her family.
Anne began writing at the ripe old age of nine, when she penned a literary classic about… well, she doesn’t really remember what it was about, but she’s pretty sure the main characters were ferrets.
These days, she writes stories about teenagers instead of ferrets.
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9 responses to “Pull by Anne Riley – Review & Giveaway”
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the concept really grabbed my attention. Time travelling is one thing but simply going back in time to fix things? Basic and simple concept but it sounds lie the author pulled it off well for you. I like how it included family relationship. I have to agree that it’s something we don’t always see in YA. Glad to know the romance is good. At times, it’s what breaks the book for me. Great review!
It does seem simple, but Riley managed to infuse a lot of action with the “bad guys” who come after Rosie. And there’s quite a bit of time where Rosie’s just trying to figure out what the heck’s happening to her!
I LOVE time travel. I agree with your, who wouldn’t love to go back in time and fix something. This sounds fantastic!
Gah love the concept of pulling!!! I don’t always do well with paranormal but this sounds really good. Plus yay for family being present. Great review!
This sounds like a really intriguing novel! I like that there wasn’t any instalove and it felt like a real relationship. I love hearing that with YA books especially!
-Lauren
I love stories that involve time travel in some way, and the ‘pulling’ that occurs in Pull sounds very intriguing, Nicole. I am going to add this to my mountain of books I want to read 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend.
It’s an interesting concept, but I find this particular arch tend to put me to sleep at times. Sorry it faltered midway, but it sure looks like you generally enjoyed it, nonetheless. 😀
The concept of being able to pull only a few minutes back in time sounds fascinating! And I’m so happy to hear there is no insta-love, yippy! Adding this to my to-read list right now.
I love time travel books and this one sounds incredible! I can’t wait to read!!