Review: Impossible - Nancy Werlin

Impossible by Nancy Werlin, published by Puffin on 4th March 2010

Goodreads synopsis:
Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that she is the latest recipient of a generations-old family curse that requires her to complete three seemingly impossible tasks or risk falling into madness and passing the curse on to the next generation. Unlike her ancestors, though, Lucy has family, friends, and other modern resources to help her out. But will it be enough to conquer this age-old evil?
 Review:

‘Impossible’ was a book I picked up initially because I loved the cover.  It’s really striking and immediately had me intrigued about the story itself, even though I’d never heard of the title or author before.  After finishing this last night, I have to say that I now love ‘Impossible’ for more than just its cover.  It’s literally one of the best books I’ve read in ages and I’m looking forward to picking this up again to reread soon.

 

So what did I love about it?  Well, for starters there’s the absolutely magical and fairytale like storyline.  You need to just suspend your disbelief and allow the aura of mysticism and magic that envelops this book to sweep you away.  Lucy is approaching her seventeenth birthday and is a normal happy teenager, living with her adopted parents, until one night changes her whole future.  I don’t want to give too much away but the traditional folk ballad Scarborough Fair is hugely significant to the plot and involves Lucy having to break a curse which has blighted her family for generations.  Along the way Lucy learns about true love and the importance of family as she tries to solve the puzzle.   

 

I also loved the absolutely wonderful characters.  There’s Lucy herself who’s immensely likeable and down-to-earth and deals with all the obstacles placed in her path with complete determination.  I was really rooting for her throughout.  There’s also the wonderful Zach, who has always been by Lucy’s side as she was growing-up and who is unfailing in his devotion and support of her.  I thought they made a brilliant pairing and I adored the way their relationship and matured and grew over the course of the novel.  Along with Lucy and Zach, there’s Lucy’s best friend Sarah, who provides her with some of the best advice in the book and a whole host of other vividly described characters.

 

I loved the way in which when I was reading this book I forgot about everything else around me and just got completely immersed in the story, which had some very unexpected twists along the way.  I enjoyed it so much that I didn't want it to ever end.

 

Nancy Werlin is a new author to me, but since reading ‘Impossible’, I’ve made myself a list of her other titles and I’m going to check them out soon.  I only wish it hadn’t taken me quite so long to discover such a brilliant writer!