Title: Semester Aboard
Author: Elizabeth Kirke
Genre: New Adult/Fantasy
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing
Number of Pages: 379
Source: My Copy
Jen is looking forward to spending an entire summer studying abroad on a cruise ship and she knows the experience will change her life. Then she sees something she wasn't supposed to see, something she can't explain. Jen finds herself thrust into a world she never knew existed and her life will change more than she imagined. That is, if she can survive the dangers lurking on the ship.
I started this book on a night when I was tired, sore and wanted something fun and light to read. I'm still not sure how I found this book on Amazon, but I'm glad I did. This book was a perfect light read. The pages flew by. The setting is different because Jen is doing a semester abroad on a ship. She meets Dani (Danio) when they are at the railings of the ship making fun of all the students who were late boarding while they were in port. She's introduced to his friends Mariana, Charlie, (Char) Tethys, (Ts) and Thomas and quickly bonds with them as you can only do when you are traveling.
The more time she spends when the more she realizes that something is different with them. She can't quite put her finger on what it is though. She notices that their eyes swirl when they get emotional, but quickly writes that off as an over active imagination. Then one night she's out on deck and sees Dani do something she doesn't think is possible. She tries to explain that away as well, but can't. The group tries to explain what happened to her, but she doesn't quite buy their story. I loved watching Jen trying to figure what was going on and if the group of friends she just met were normal or not. Jen was such a breath of fresh air for a YA/NA character. When the mystery of who the group is starts to unravel, she doesn't change who she is, and questions everything. Answers are given, but not right away. I had such a fun time trying to figure everything out. There is a romance, but it's more about Jen discovering her inner strength and coming to terms that not everything is as it appears.
I just had two problems with this book. One was that each of the characters had an adjective they used such as "that was splashy" or "Ashes that took longer then I thought" when they were excited or annoyed. This had to do with what they were, but it got a little old after awhile. The second problem I had was that sometimes the commas in the book would be red instead of black like the rest of the words were. That was something I hadn't seen before while reading a self published book.
All in all though, this book was a refreshing read and I really can't wait to see more of Jen and the gang. If you are looking for a different Young Adult/New Adult read, then I highly recommend this one. It has a little of everything: magic, adventure and romance.
