Review by Jacktone Ogada -- Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reign

Jacktone Ogada · Post by **Jacktone Ogada** » 02 Mar 2020, 11:06

[Following is a volunteer review of "Opaque" by Calix Leigh-Reign.]

4 out of 4 stars

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We don't shape destiny, destiny shapes us. Adam in Opaque by Calix Leigh-Reign is a perfect example that the above statement is true. He meets and befriends Carly and his life changes all of a sudden. He changes from being the son of JoAnn to one of the few remaining descendants of Russian people with extraordinary abilities, due to their extraordinary genetic mutations. Brutal scientists called Ikshas are persistently hunting down people with the superhuman like him in a bid to try and harness their abilities. Adam has a duty to protect them and make the Ikshas pay for their brutality. Suddenly, his life finds meaning.

Calix has a great way of building his sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. Just as good linen is a threadwork of interwoven strings, so is Opaque a great piece of well planned and carefully structured words and chapters. Each sentence and chapter smoothly flows into the next and this makes the novel easy to follow and understand. Dialogues are also cohesively and well written. It is indisputable that Calix has a great way of narration that makes a reader glued to the book.

Suspense is wonderfully sustained throughout the story and this really intrigues me. You literally become glued to the want and want to find out what happens next. Blame Calix's exemplary maintenance of suspense In case you are addicted to the book. Even in the end, we aren't sure what becomes of Katarina. Will she accept the truth? What will she do that her father has been killed? How will she take the fact that she is Adam's sister? I bet I have to wait for the next book in the series to try to find out.

I love the way the characters in the novel are greatly developed and constructed. The author employs a vivid description of each character that he creates. We know of their personalities, behaviors, likes, dislikes, temperament, and values due to how well they are laid out in the novel. We know how they feel and react to various situations. This is best described as "the reader feels the character's feelings more than he/she can." For instance, Adam is wonderfully described and we know of him at the beginning as arrogant, emotional, antisocial and pessimistic.

Calix touches on a number of themes in Opaque such as teenagers' school and social life, love, and romance, perversion and injustice. He boldly draws issues in the societies that many shy off from talking about. For example, he narrates Adam's lustful feelings to his own mother, JoAnn to the extent of being jealous that Mark has her. Issues like romance that affect teenagers are clearly brought out.

I rate the book a clean 4 out of 4 stars due to the perfect narration and creativity. The book is also well-edited and there are few minute mistakes. This makes it easier to read and understand. Anything under four stars would be an injustice to such a great and creative mind. I recommend the book to young adults and older readers who enjoy mystery filled fiction books. It is inappropriate for younger readers as it contains mature content.

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Opaque
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