Review: Impossible by: Nancy Werlin

Where I got it: teenreads.com for review
Rating: 4 stars (really enjoyed this)
Cover Rating: 4 stars (I love that dress, it's not the one she ends up with though which is a little weird.)
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: August 11, 2009
Publisher: Speak (Penguin Group)


On Lucy Scarborough's seventh birthday she had a big bash with tons of presents. Afterward, alone upstairs she found a hidden compartment in her bookcase. Inside was a letter to her from her biological mother. Lucy was too young to understand that this was the best present she would receive, this would be the present that could save her life. Ten years later Lucy has forgotten about the secret compartment but not her mother Miranda. Miranda is a ubiquitous presence in Lucy's life, always popping up out of nowhere and singing her own version of Scarborough Fair. Lucy falls victim to a bad circumstance and it's not until her best friend Zach discovers Miranda's diary that everything starts to fall into place. Miranda has been through everything Lucy is going through but she wants Lucy to do it better, break the curse that traps them. With three impossible tasks ahead of her will Lucy be able to make it before it's too late?

I really enjoyed this novel. The beginning dialogue was a little choppy and unrealistic but as the book picked up the writing got a lot better. The story reminded me of a fairy tale, very Rumpelstiltskin like. The tension between Lucy and Zach was thick and very real which made them easy to relate with. Werlin changed the perspective a lot it wasn't confusing really but maybe a little irksome at times, though the story was interesting enough that I could keep reading. I loved how well Nancy Werlin managed to meld magic and reality and come up with this involved, romantic journey. This is a great book of magical realism with just a dash of romance that you can really sink your teeth into.