Anna Sophia Medvedeva has always known that she was different from everyone else. She has no idea how she knows this about herself, she only has the distinct impression that her feeling will come to fruition very soon. Although she doesn't know that much about her past, she still finds immense comfort in hearing the fairytale that her beloved uncle tells whenever he comes to visit. All in all, the eve of her thirteenth birthday should herald an extraordinary year to come; at least in Anna Sophia's opinion.
In the Swiss orphanage where she has spent most of her childhood, Anna has often wondered about her past. She never knew her parents, and she isn't even entirely sure of where she comes from. So much of her past still remains a mystery to her, yet Anna Sophia has always believed that there was a certain element of truth to her Uncle Misha's extraordinary story: that a shining woman had once led him to discover her somewhere in the Russian wilderness; as a newborn baby nestled among a litter of bear cubs. The story certainly seems fantastic, but Anna Sophia has always held on to the secret hope that the shining apparition was actually her mother's loving spirit, making sure that her daughter was found safe and sound.
To be perfectly honest, Anna Sophia has already begun to notice some very strange and disturbing things about herself. When she was little, Anna used to imagine what it would be like to have superpowers; but she was only playing a game to pass the time. She knows that whatever is happening to her now isn't part of any game - and she is getting scared. Suddenly, she's able to see things that shouldn't be there; she can do things that nobody else can do. So far, she has managed to keep her strange new abilities to herself, but she isn't sure how much longer she can do that - after all, she has some pretty frightening powers.
It's only when she receives a letter from her mother - someone who she will never meet - that Anna finally begins to learn some of the truth about her past. She is absolutely thrilled to have any sense of connection to her parents, and to have at least some of the information that she has craved for so long. However, just what should she do with the knowledge that she is actually an honest-to-goodness witch...and that each time she uses her new powers, she destroys a tiny piece of her soul? She doesn't quite know what to do next, but she is excited to begin uncovering the potential in her future.
As Anna continues to learn more about her secret abilities, she suspects that her affluent neighbors have a sinister agenda of their own: a plot to harm Anna and her friends. Can Anna Sophia possibly use her newfound supernatural powers to put a stop to their devious plans? Is there a way for her to fight them, without endangering her own soul? And maybe, just maybe, is her own secret tied into theirs?
First of all, let me say that I wasn't expecting my reading pace to be quite as slow as it turned out to be; although, having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was caught up in the story by the first page, and thought it was very well-developed. I certainly appreciated that the plot was as dark as it was, although there were also a surprising number of light moments as well. There were elements of fantasy interwoven with the reality of the story, and I would give this book a definite A!
In the Swiss orphanage where she has spent most of her childhood, Anna has often wondered about her past. She never knew her parents, and she isn't even entirely sure of where she comes from. So much of her past still remains a mystery to her, yet Anna Sophia has always believed that there was a certain element of truth to her Uncle Misha's extraordinary story: that a shining woman had once led him to discover her somewhere in the Russian wilderness; as a newborn baby nestled among a litter of bear cubs. The story certainly seems fantastic, but Anna Sophia has always held on to the secret hope that the shining apparition was actually her mother's loving spirit, making sure that her daughter was found safe and sound.
To be perfectly honest, Anna Sophia has already begun to notice some very strange and disturbing things about herself. When she was little, Anna used to imagine what it would be like to have superpowers; but she was only playing a game to pass the time. She knows that whatever is happening to her now isn't part of any game - and she is getting scared. Suddenly, she's able to see things that shouldn't be there; she can do things that nobody else can do. So far, she has managed to keep her strange new abilities to herself, but she isn't sure how much longer she can do that - after all, she has some pretty frightening powers.
It's only when she receives a letter from her mother - someone who she will never meet - that Anna finally begins to learn some of the truth about her past. She is absolutely thrilled to have any sense of connection to her parents, and to have at least some of the information that she has craved for so long. However, just what should she do with the knowledge that she is actually an honest-to-goodness witch...and that each time she uses her new powers, she destroys a tiny piece of her soul? She doesn't quite know what to do next, but she is excited to begin uncovering the potential in her future.
As Anna continues to learn more about her secret abilities, she suspects that her affluent neighbors have a sinister agenda of their own: a plot to harm Anna and her friends. Can Anna Sophia possibly use her newfound supernatural powers to put a stop to their devious plans? Is there a way for her to fight them, without endangering her own soul? And maybe, just maybe, is her own secret tied into theirs?
First of all, let me say that I wasn't expecting my reading pace to be quite as slow as it turned out to be; although, having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I was caught up in the story by the first page, and thought it was very well-developed. I certainly appreciated that the plot was as dark as it was, although there were also a surprising number of light moments as well. There were elements of fantasy interwoven with the reality of the story, and I would give this book a definite A!
