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3 out of 4 stars
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Neptune’s Window: First Glance is the first book of an exciting trilogy by L L Lewin. Designed to appeal to young adult audiences, the story captures teen drama and paranormal activity from a fresh perspective. Aries Dade is the new girl at Newport Beach High School. But, she isn’t just an ordinary sophomore. She can communicate with spirits. Sadly, Aries struggles to communicate with her recently deceased mother. Other spirits try to help, but Aries is skeptical about their real motives. Slowly, she begins to unravel the bizarre truth surrounding her mother’s death. Additionally, her school life is inundated with parties, homework, bullies, and crushes. The star quarterback, Cory, and an intriguing loner, Damon, both vie for Aries’ attention much to the dismay of the notorious P-Pack (Peyton, Paige, and Piper - a group of popular girls). Can Aries juggle her busy teen life, keep the afterlife at bay, and solve the mystery surrounding her mother?
The paranormal features of this book were my favorite things to read about. It was really exciting to read about a teenaged medium. I was intrigued by the way Aries traced letters and symbols while she was talking to the spirits. She was able to recognize some spirits either by their energies or smells. For example, she smelled tobacco smoke whenever her grandfather’s spirit was near. Others made themselves known to her through animals. One spirit caused a buzzing sound in her head when it tried to get her attention. Sometimes, Aries felt temporary pain in certain body parts while she communicated with a spirit. It usually meant that the person had a major injury or disease there when they were alive. Reading about these things gave me insights into the way spirits might communicate with mediums.
Astrology is something I have been interested in for a long time. It is refreshing to see it portrayed in a story. Firstly, Aries is named after her zodiac sign. Secondly, Neptune represents illusions, spirituality, and mystery. Neptune is also the God of the Sea. There are several mysteries that both Aries and the reader have to figure out. The story is also set in a seaside town. It is interesting to see how Neptune’s influence envelops the story.
Teen drama made up a large part of this book. I liked reading about the popular girls, daily school-life, and the love triangle that Aries became involved in. A lot of modern issues surfaced throughout the book too, such as party-going, drug and alcohol use, and cyber-bullying. The author did a great job in creating a credible social setting for her characters. I wholeheartedly recommend Neptune’s Window: First Glance to young adults and teens who are interested in astrology and paranormal activity.
I would have liked to award this book a perfect rating because Aries was an enchanting main character and the story encapsulated exciting paranormal concepts, astrology, and a suitable amount of teen drama. However, there was one thing that prevented me from doing so. Several errors were found, particularly in the dialogues. Errors like poor punctuation and misspelled words were distracting. I think another round of editing will be beneficial. Due to this, I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars.
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Neptune's Window
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