REVIEW: Fragile Creatures by Kristina Circelli

Fragile Creatures

Seventeen-year-old Evangeline Frost had a great life, until the car accident that killed her father and turned her mother into a bitter alcoholic. Unable to bear the guilt, Evangeline attempts to take her own life, saved only by the memory of her beloved father. Left with no other options, Evangeline is enrolled in a program for troubled teens at Kindred Hides Wildlife Preserve. There she meets Caster, a keeper as annoying as he is caring; Jett and Lettie, who treat her more like a daughter than troubled teen; and Ruke, a prized giraffe in mourning for his lost mate. Immersed in the preserve with her new friends, Evangeline finally begins to heal. But the haunting memories of the accident and her mother’s unforgiving words threaten to destroy her progress. Only her new friends and their unconditional support, along with her own special connection with Ruke, can save her. Evangeline must learn that there is redemption for her father’s death, and that the bonds between human, animal, and life are not as fragile as she once thought.

Buy on Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | Paperback

RATING: 5 stars

REVIEW: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It has been awhile since a book has truly made me cry, but this one did. And while I was at work....on my break.

Evangeline wakes up after a horrendous car accident severely injures her, and kills her father. Not only does she have to deal with the grief and guilt of the accident, but her mother turns into this awful horrible person who can't even support her own daughter in her deepest pain. Evangeline gets sent to a program for troubled teens where she finds redemption in the caring of a giraffe as heart-broken as she is.

The author does a superb job of capturing the emotions of grief, both in Evangeline, her mother, and Ruke, the giraffe. She captures the gruff father-like figure of Jett, and the ornery loveableness of PJ. I've read one other book by this author, and she truly has a way with story-telling. Two of her books have become some of my favorites, The Never, and now, Fragile Creatures. She writes just as well as Evangeline paints.

There aren't many books I give five stars to, because I truly feel that to earn 5 stars, your life has to be changed by it. I really think this book earns every one of these five stars. You won't walk away the same.