Review: Auracle by Gina Rosati

Title: Auracle by Gina Rosati
Page count: 304
Goodreads rating: 4.09
Published on: August 7th, 2012
Buy it via: Amazon|B&N|Book Dep
Rating: 4/5 Crystal balls
Summary: 16-year-old Anna Rogan has a secret she's only shared with her best friend, Rei; she can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to explore the world and the far reaches of the universe. When there's a fatal accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna's body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive home life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future trapped in another dimension, Anna turns to Rei for help. Now the two of them must find a way to get Anna back into her body and stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of murder. Together Anna and Rei form a plan but it doesn't take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them

Auracle is a quick, fast-paced, engaging read about a girl named Anna Rogan who can astrally project out of her body and go pretty much any place she wants or anywhere her heart desires. This all goes terribly wrong one day when Anna is out of her body and a rich and popular classmate named Taylor dies in an accidental death and somehow her spirit finds her way into Anna’s body. When Anna realizes Taylor intends to live out the rest of her life in her body and falsely accuses one of her friends of murdering her, Anna finds herself stuck in a dimension where she can’t speak and is doomed to watch a girl take over her entire existence.

Gina Rosati has given readers a humorous, yet deep, unique tale that effortlessly mixes paranormal with contemporary themes. Astral Projection is a very interesting topic, and one that I haven’t seen explored too often in YA fiction, but Auracle does it extremely well and gives readers a fascinating and clever look at what someone’s life could be like if they had the ability to astral project. One of the things that impressed me most about Auracle is that we are able to actually see how Anna astrally projects. This gives more weight to Anna’s situation throughout the novel, as we get to experience every step of the way in her journey.

Auracle features a best-friends-falling-for-each other storyline. Those kinds of storylines can sometimes either be a hit or a miss, as they have the ability to feel contrived. However, when done right, they can be outstanding, as there is something special about two characters who already have a deep bond and history come together. In this case, I found it to be the latter. Anna and Rei's relationship is very rootable and they are pulled together in a creative and satisfying way. Their chemistry isn't flaming hot, but it’s sweet, endearing and it’s lovely watching them discover that they have feelings for each other. I love how even though Taylor changed everything about Anna’s physical body from makeup to wardrobe, Rei could never see her as his Anna, even though she physically looked like her, she wasn't her, on the inside.

Auracle also covers some sensitive and important topics from alcoholism, to death and afterlife, to mother-daughter relationships. At the heart of this story though, is about Anna fighting to get back into her body and through this, discovering who she really is. Auracle is a wonderful coming of age story, with plenty of paranormal goodness to enjoy. No, we might not be able to astral project in real life but when we’re growing up we all go through periods of hardships, and everything that comes with first love and self-discovery. With its exploration of real life issues, and astral projection, Gina Rosati has penned a terrific debut novel. If you are looking for a fresh paranormal read, than look no further than Auracle.