YA Review: Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish

In One Sentence: It's different from anything I've ever read.

Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish is about (go ahead, make a guess...) Savannah Grey! Here's the description from Mr. McNish's page:


A monster's out there... Only one girl can stop it. But will love get in the way?

It's a difficult time for fifteen-year-old Savannah Grey - she's settled into her latest foster placement, but her body is acting oddly. Then other strange things begin to happen. Birds behave erratically; gusts of wind blow leaves so fiercely they seem to lure people away. And Savannah discovers she has supernatural powers.

Only new boy Reece Gandolfo thinks Savannah's powers are a special gift. No wonder she's attracted to him. But there's another force that wants to lure Savannah from safety into danger...

It's a rare thing to come across something that is original. I think this book has that rare commodity. Savannah's supernatural powers are something that I've never seen before. Inside her is a weapon fashioned by nature itself to combat an enemy as old as the Earth. Here's where it got really interesting for me.

Every once in a while, Cliff gives us an insight into how our badguy came to be. Every time I came to these sections, a small voice in my head said, "Oh, badguy stuff, yummm." Just like Savannah's supernatural power, this was a badguy that was unique to me. 

Unfortunately, the characters were not as fleshed out as I wanted them to be. I wanted to know more about our main character and Reece, the love interest. But there just wasn't much to be had in that direction. Still, I couldn't put the book down. I had to know what happened. Not because I was super invested in the characters, but because the idea was just so interesting. I doubt I'll ever forget this story.

Bottom Line: Should you read it? Yes! The idea is just too original! Plus, sometimes the descriptions are almost poetic.