Review: Tainted Luck by Cynthia Austin

TAINTED LUCK

by Cynthia Austin

Britain's Next Bestseller

YA Paranormal / Thriller

128 pages

Levi Kast was content living his life in the shadows. He didn’t want much, just his dad’s attention and the girl of his dreams to notice his existence.

Instead, he got more than he had bargained for.

Taylor James was the new student at Kennedy High. She was eccentric, impulsive, Gothic and…dark.

She always got what she wanted, and she decided instantly that she wanted Levi Kast. He became her obsession.

Despite Levi’s initial response to retreat from her other world presence, he was eventually drawn to this girl and her obsession of death and ghosts.

But Taylor had skeletons in her closest, including a dead boyfriend, and before Levi could understand them, he found himself her next victim. 

MY TIDBITS 

Dark and tense delight coats this quick read with bittersweet surprise.

Levi is just a guy in high school, whose only aspirations are to gain his father's approval and maybe...just maybe...get the girl he secretly crushes on for years to notice him. That's all he expects out of life. When the new girl plops down next to him in class and starts asking weird questions about one of the teachers, he wishes she'd go away. But she doesn't and sticks to him worse than a piece of old gum on his shoe. He can't get rid of her, and her goth weirdness makes him nervous. Little does he know that she's chucked full of very dark secrets.

This was a great read to dive into a tense, dark tale and enjoy it before it grows too long or heavy. The setting hits quickly and holds enough familiarity that scenes fall without the need for huge descriptions, allowing the plot to immediately take over. Levi comes across as an average boy from across the street and is easy to empathize with, especially his irritation and confusion with Taylor's relentless attention. Taylor is held at arm's length, but in a way which slides right in with her character. It's clear that something's off with her, and yet, it's exactly this which makes her more intriguing.

The plot is packed and quick, and settles with a sense of strangeness fitting for the atmosphere and read. It's definitely dark, a little twisted and grabs until the very last page.