ARC Review: Auracle - Gina Rosati

Release Date: August 7th 2012
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press


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.


From its very first page Auracle completely captivated me. There was something so sweet and yet still feisty about the main character, Anna, that interested me a lot and made the book even more enjoyable. Furthermore I enjoyed the fresh and exciting premise of astral projection; for me it was something utterly magical.


The Plot: There was a certain lightness to the plot. I never had the feeling that the action was mindblowing and the tension never made me bite my nails; For me Auracle was the perfect summer read, just plain irresistible. It wasn't by any case slow or boring, just unique. Nevertheless I had a hard time putting this one down to eat or sleep. I have to say that astral projection was what got my attention from the start. What if you could travel to a place you always dreamed of but leaving your body safely behind under the covers of your bed? It would be completely amazing and something I never read in any novel. The romance was slow-building, just the way I like it. You can imagine how a relationship between best friends would bloom: full of awkwardness yet full of sweetness.


The Characters: Anna was an amazing main character. She is both sweet and feisty which made it easy to relate to her. Furthermore Rosati adds some depth to the story by adding a dysfunctional family to her character. It is understandable then that she uses astral projection as a way to enjoy and escape her real life. Rei, her neighbour and best friend, was also a breath of fresh air to love interests in the YA genre. He was certainly swoon-worthy (I mean, he is half Japanese! I would love me some Rei) but he was an earthbound, sincere character. Plus being an Asian he had to cope with a really strict family. The other characters like Seth, the other best friend, and Taylor, the villain, made the story the even more enjoyable and added more fuel to the already amazing fire of this novel.


Auracle was an utterly captivating read with many exciting and fresh twists. I will certainly be reading anything Rosati publishes in the future, since her writing was unbelievably good. With plenty of humor, suspense, romance and paranormal aspects, Auracle is a novel you should be sure not to miss!

A unbelievably huge thanks to Gina Rosati for providing me with a copy of Auracle for review, and for being willing to send it internationally: It made my day!

I have a husband, an 18 year old son and a 13 year old daughter who are very patient and understanding...it’s not easy to live with a writer. I used to be a secretary. And a cake decorator. And a PTA mom. And I still volunteer at the middle school library one day a week because I love it there. As part of my research for AURACLE, I got a tattoo. Now I have 3 and counting...I cannot astrally project. I tried. But I am excellent at procrastinating! Website / Twitter