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booksandbosox's review against another edition
4.0
This was a pleasantly surprising listen. The main character was a pretty level-headed and interesting and complex female character, which I enjoyed. Except for the bit about Paul. Which seemed totally unnecessary. I thought the magic/powers were really cool, even though the "garn" was a bit weird. And I totally dug the villain and his storyline. This was just a nice alternative to the romance-y fantasy stuff out there for young adults.
ktyler's review against another edition
3.0
What better setting than high school to explore the true nature of evil?
Lissy James is the new kid in school. A recent transplant from California, she dosen't understand the odd social structure of her new high school where popular kids are Goldens and those less fortunate are known simply as Nons.
To complicate Lissy's life, she's been blessed (or cursed?) by The Sight. Every female in her family line has a version of The Sight and Lissy can see a halo of color around every individual. These auras are the outward representation of personality and mood.
Since Lissy just doesn't seem to fit in with the catty Goldens, she befriends a few Nons including Audra and Dylan. While Lissy tries to avoid the minefields the Goldens seem to lay before her, what really throws her for a loop is her high school math teacher. What she sees in his aura is so horrible it makes her actually pass out.
Golden by Jennifer Barnes is fun, inventive, and intriguing. It has a really entertaining mix of romance, mystery, and the supernatural. The only thing preventing me from giving it another star are a few minor reservations. Lissy's lingering relationship with some of her friends back in California seemed unnecessary. And the final denoument felt a little awkward. I would have liked more plot betwen Lissy's revelation about her math teacher and the final conclusion.
Even with these reservations, I would recommend this book to most any teen reader grades 8-12. It will be an easy sell to teens accustomed to both chick lit and supernatural genres.
Lissy James is the new kid in school. A recent transplant from California, she dosen't understand the odd social structure of her new high school where popular kids are Goldens and those less fortunate are known simply as Nons.
To complicate Lissy's life, she's been blessed (or cursed?) by The Sight. Every female in her family line has a version of The Sight and Lissy can see a halo of color around every individual. These auras are the outward representation of personality and mood.
Since Lissy just doesn't seem to fit in with the catty Goldens, she befriends a few Nons including Audra and Dylan. While Lissy tries to avoid the minefields the Goldens seem to lay before her, what really throws her for a loop is her high school math teacher. What she sees in his aura is so horrible it makes her actually pass out.
Golden by Jennifer Barnes is fun, inventive, and intriguing. It has a really entertaining mix of romance, mystery, and the supernatural. The only thing preventing me from giving it another star are a few minor reservations. Lissy's lingering relationship with some of her friends back in California seemed unnecessary. And the final denoument felt a little awkward. I would have liked more plot betwen Lissy's revelation about her math teacher and the final conclusion.
Even with these reservations, I would recommend this book to most any teen reader grades 8-12. It will be an easy sell to teens accustomed to both chick lit and supernatural genres.
luaucow's review against another edition
4.0
The cover of this book makes you think it's going to be something like Gossip Girls, but it's actually a story about a girl with paranormal powers who's a bit of an outcast and saves the day. I did enjoy it though and look forward the the second installment.
iceangel9's review
3.0
The women in Lissy's family have always had some kind of extra sensory powers. Lissy sees people's auras. When her family moves from California to Oklahoma Lissy finds herself at odds with the popular clique at school called the "Goldens". She begins to discover there is something more evil walking the halls of the high school than just the popular set. Can she figure things out before it's too late? If you liked Barnes' second book Tattoo, you will enjoy this book which is actually the first book she published when she was 19.
melrailey's review
3.0
This book started off slow and a bit juvenile but as it went on, I found that I was starting to like Lissy and really liked all her snarkiness. I thought she was hilarious. Then about halfway there was suddenly a story and a mystery to solve and I was really enjoying it. I read that Jennifer Lynn Barnes wrote this book when she was 19 and, if that's the case, that would definitely explain some of the juvenile-ishness (like my word there) of the book. One of the best parts of the story was that, although there was a romance, there wasn't really. It was more the promise of a romance to come and I like that. I wanted more from the characters and I'm a little sad to see that the second book switches over to Lilah's point of view. Maybe there'll be more about Lissy and Dylan in it ;)
About the audiobook: The narrator, Jenna Lamia is wonderful. I've listened to her in other audiobooks and she does a terrific job. One thing that threw me off was this story had a lot of music thrown into the production and every time I thought it was my cell phone going off and started looking for my phone before I realized it was the audiobook.
Overall, this is a fun, light listen.
About the audiobook: The narrator, Jenna Lamia is wonderful. I've listened to her in other audiobooks and she does a terrific job. One thing that threw me off was this story had a lot of music thrown into the production and every time I thought it was my cell phone going off and started looking for my phone before I realized it was the audiobook.
Overall, this is a fun, light listen.
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