A review by booksthrilljessica
The Spark Within by Samantha Christopher

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

4.0

Five years ago Maya and her family fled a ragging war between Elementals and Coms. This initiated her mother to start a hidden community to help protect Elementals from those without elemental powers that would wish them harm. 

Within the walls of this hidden oasis Maya feels trapped. Young residents are unable to make any decision, their lives are to be led by strict rules. Among these rules is that boys and girls are forbidden to communicate with each other unless they have been matched. It is every young adult's dream to finally be paired with their perfect match. So when it is finally Maya’s turn she is prepared to be the obedient daughter and pick the best suitor chosen for her. However, when Maya is drawn to a boy who has not been selected for her, James, she starts to question everything she has been taught. Can she choose who she loves? Is still dangerous outside of their community or has she been lied to her whole life? 

This book is perfect for young adult audiences. It has little to no spice, and great character development. This is a story about hope, doing what is right and perseverance. I do feel that there could have been more world building. I would have loved to have more scenes of Maya seeing the outside world and the dynamic of her realizing what it was truly like. I also could have done with a little less of the triad between Maya and her love interests, I felt that it took up too much of the plot. However, for younger readers I believe that this would be a great read on discovering oneself and their place within their world. 

*Thank you to Samantha Christopher for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.