Last year I set myself the challenge to read 20 book in 2018 and sadly it was a challenge I didn’t achieve. Don’t get me wrong, I had a good crack at it, but being a sleepy young adult whose main goal at the end of a day working was to hibernate, really put a damper on eating up those books. There wasn’t any other reason that I didn’t read my 20 book other than I valued sleeping over reading… at least I’m being honest!

However, I did get though my fair share of words and even discovered my new favorite read. Seeing as I’m not in a self-reflection mood with the new year, I’m instead going to be having a good old ramble about my new favorite book, Echoes by Laura Tisdall. So buckle up guys, I’m going all out book nerd on you today!

It took me all of three days to get through this book. I also was prepared to throw an all nighter reading it (I got half way through, was so hooked by a major plot point and then decided that I wouldn’t sleep until I had finished the book). Thankfully, I was done by midnight so my sleep didn’t suffer all that much. But the fact that I could have happily traded my sleep for time spent reading should give you an idea of how epic this books is.

The story follows senior year student Mallory Park, a young adult living two lives. She spends her days looking after her younger brother whilst keeping a close eye on her deeply troubled father, an ex marine. When the day is finished she hides away in her bedroom, her identity turning to Echo Six, a genius hacker who’s more than capable of getting into some of the worlds most secure systems. Mallory isn’t alone on the online world, as a member of the cyber network, the Forum, Mallory is part of a much bigger picture of exposing corruption. Guided by the hand of The Asker, the head of the group, her fragile world has the illusion of stability behind a keyboard. It’s only when other hackers go missing her already weakened world shatters.

I was emotionally invested in Mallory’s character from the word go. I feel with this new generation of strong female leads, the bridge that links reader and character in how relatable we feel towards them has been torn down a bit. Echoes gave me hope that it’s possible to have a female lead who’s both relatable whilst giving the reader enough story to escape reality. There was this balance of escapism and realism in this book that is almost poetic. It’s truly a breath of fresh air in young adult novels.

It also had a fast and engaging plot that was unlike anything I’d come across previously. When I first came to this book I initially thought it would turn out to be just another spy novel, but I was wrong. There’s not a million and one characters, what sounds like it could be a bad things but in reality it’s the opposite. It meant that every person that was in the book had meaning, there wasn’t any ‘shadow’ people as I like to call them. I knew that every character was important and as a result I didn’t skip past any sections of text just encase I missed something.

With it being YA I thought it would be a coming of age book, like the majority are. In some ways it is, the development in Mallory’s character throughout the book is in-depth and a applaud the author for that. However, it also has a short and snappy plot that throws so many curve-balls. There was several times I thought I had the plot figured out, I knew where the book would go, the identity of the antagonist and everything… but I was so wrong every time, I never expected the ending of the book that I read.

Part of me is torn, I really wish there was a sequel for Echoes as I’m just too in love with the characters to let them go. But the other part of me is so please with the closure of the book that adding a second installment just wouldn’t feel right. Either way, without a shadow of a doubt I can say this is my current favorite book.

What was your favorite read of 2019 or your favorite book of all time? 

I’m restarting my reading challenge this year and am seriously needing some inspiration on what to read next. The Saviors Champion by Jenna Moreci is top on my list, but other than that I have no plans on what to read. So, if you’d like to help a fellow book-worm/ nerd out and let me know your favorite books or if you have any recommendations then that would be really appreciated.

Happy reading folks!