Impossbile

By Nancy Werlin

Summary: (from nancywerlin.com)

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents beside her. And she has Zach, whose strength amazes her more each day. Do they have enough love and resolve to overcome an age-old evil?

Inspired by the ballad "Scarborough Fair," Impossiblecombines suspense, fantasy, and romance.

What I liked:

I had heard from a friend that this book was amazing, and I have to agree. I really liked it.It was a beautiful blend of contemporary fiction and fantasy. Lucy is such a real character, and while she is very different from me, I understand why she does what she does. And what's nearly as important is that all of the supporting cast was very well-crafted as well. For a book that is based in reality with elements of the fantastical, the supporting characters had to have realistic reactions to Lucy's belief that she has been cursed by the Elfin Knight. I appreciate that Leo believed Lucy, but that all Soledad could bring herself to believe was that Lucy believed in the curse, and that was enough. Werlin allowed Soledad to remain true to herself and still be there for her family at the same time. Family, Love, and Unity are all important to the survival of Lucy, and I appreciate a book that can give us an example of a mixed, modern family that functions as a family ought to.

I also loved that this book had a 'good guy' as the romantic lead. Zach is a guy that you can be happy for Lucy to love. He's decent, and honorable, and straight-forward. He stands by Lucy in, let's face it, the oddest of circumstances. What a relief compared to so many of the bad boys who have to waffle in their affections, concerned that they're not good for the heroine.

What I didn't Like:

There's really not much to put in this category. I didn't feel that the villain was a strong as he could have been. Manipulative, certainly, but I didn't fear him or feel that he was really as malevolent as he could have been, which is odd because his actions certainly are devilish. I also felt the ending was just the tiniest bit lackluster, but that's probably just me and the type of endings I prefer.

Recommendation: 4 out of 5 stars

I've already passed this book on to 3 women, and all have just loved the book and recommended it to others.

Rating:

Profanity: very mild

Drugs and Alcohol: some references to drinking at the Sr. Prom

Violence: Lucy is raped at the prom, but Werlin does a good job of leaving it to implication and not description. I was comfortable enough with this that I still gave the book to my younger sister.

Sexuality: Mild. Again, a reference to the prom, but nothing that I personally found offensive.