Flight by Alyssa Rose Ivy **Minor Spoilers**

I came across this book as a recommendation from amazon while trying to find a book to fill time between releases. I was excited because it is set in New Orleans which is where I live. I really enjoy books that are set here since there are familiar places, etc. This book does meet the new adult criteria, as Allie is post-high school. First and foremost I want to reiterate there are some minor spoilers in this review. Please don’t read on if you don’t want to read them. Here’s the plot description from goodreads:

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.

I was a little skeptical when I bought this book as it doesn’t specify what type of supernatural the story is about. Naturally, since it is set in New Orleans I assumed vampires and then when that was ruled out thought it would be werewolves because of the local folklore. However, I was extremely surprised that it was shifters, but they are raptors. After that came to light I was enthralled simply based on how different the premise is from most the paranormal books currently out. I will say that the way they chose to reveal their secret was a little ridiculous and could have been written better. I felt like if someone was going to reveal this sort of information to someone they wanted to stick around all the buildup wouldn’t have happened since any sane person would have just left when all the creepiness started.

The characters are all extremely likeable despite their faults. For instance, Levi is a complete arrogant jerk and yet you still find him very likeable. The secondary characters in Levi’s circle are equally interesting and likeable. Allie is a bit different as she tries to come off as harsh and uninterested while she really isn’t that type of girl. I found the differences in how she felt and acted gave her character a lot of depth and reality. No sane girl is going to jump into a relationship with a boy in a strange town that she just met. This made the relationship that developed seem more natural. However, the only character I found myself severely annoyed with Allie’s supposed best friend. Her behavior is so contradictory to how she feels at one point that I wanted to slap her. She makes some bad decisions (I don’t want to ruin it) and then disappears from the story all together. I do have to wonder if she was only a caveat for Allie to meet Levi. Her disappearance is strange as I was left wondering if she would re-enter the story at some point. I found that she didn’t and it made her presence in the book strange.

Overall, I am very intrigued with this new series and am looking forward to the release of the second book in the series Focus that comes out on January 31. I dearly hope it is released early since you are left with a lot of unresolved issues in this book.