The Girl With the Half and Half Face by Leslie Miller

The Girl With the Half and Half Face by Leslie Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

She’s been trained to follow wherever her Core leads.
Until it leads her away from everything she’s ever known . . . into mortal danger.

Eighteen-year-old Kayli-el discovers she’s part of a new, evolving species on her planet, with a powerful internal guidance called the Core. After her teacher is murdered for its secrets, Kayli-el runs for her life – right into the arms of Tamber, a boy who’s crossed the ocean on a mysterious quest . . . to find her!
When the same killers who murdered her teacher capture her best friend Serene, Kayli-el faces a choice with potentially deadly consequences: follow her Core’s wisdom and flee across the ocean to safety with Tamber, or defy her own guidance to try to save Serene’s life.

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I haven't had fun reading a series like this since... I can't even remember!. It's gripping from the first chapter and it flows at a fairly quick pace.

Kayli-el is a girl young enough to behave recklessly but she does have the maturity to admit to her mistakes and try to make amends for them. Oh, and there's not one but two hot boys for your pleasure and they couldn't be more different from each other. Tamber is dedicated and focused on the mission at hand while his twin brother Tri is a shameless flirt and much more adventurous. It was such a breath of fresh air to see them letting loose and enjoying themselves during one part of the story, especially in a YA book dealing with themes of responsibility and discipline.

I was intrigued by the concept of the Core, or the part of their consciousness that seems to be all-knowing. All three of them struggle with trusting it completely and that's an interesting bind when the Core is supposed to be the guiding force for their lives. Can they ever be comfortable with blind faith or will they choose to follow their own minds when it could lead to disaster?

The planet in their world is inhabited by three races only distinguishable by their scent, which is something I've never seen in a fantasy novel before. Ms Miller definitely gets extra brownie points for originality!

So, if you're looking for YA with spunky characters, plenty of action and intrigue, and a fascinating world to discover, don't go past this one.

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