The Girl Who Could See by Kara Swanson

Sci-fi. 200 Pages. 4 Stars

Synopsis: 

All her life Fern has been told she is blind to reality—but what if she is the only one who can truly see?

Fern Johnson is crazy. At least, that’s what the doctors have claimed since her childhood. Now nineteen, and one step away from a psych ward, Fern struggles to survive in bustling Los Angeles. Desperate to appear “normal,” she represses the young man flickering at the edge of her awareness—a blond warrior only she can see.

Tristan was Fern’s childhood imaginary hero, saving her from monsters under her bed and outside her walls. As she grew up and his secret world continued to bleed into hers, however, it only caused catastrophe. But, when the city is rocked by the unexplainable, Fern is forced to consider the possibility that this young man isn’t a hallucination after all—and that the creature who decimated his world may be coming for hers.

My Review: 

The cover is what first drew me in. I mean, guys, is that not stunning?! I kept seeing the cover pop up everywhere and admired it so much that I didn’t even bother to read the synopsis when I had the opportunity to meet the lovely author and purchase my own copy. To be perfectly honest, I just bought the thing right off!

Swanson’s novealla was a short, but entertaining read. The plot for this novella was definitely different. It was an interesting read. I wouldn’t say it was a page turner, but I did read it all in one sitting. I was curious and the story drew me in. I didn’t really ever question Fern’s sanity, but I did really want to know what was going on.

The setting for this was probably my favorite part. I loved the different dimensions crashing together and getting a glimpse into Tristan’s dusty world. I would have loved to see more of his world before (what, I won’t say) and maybe even after, too. Swanson did a really good job on Fern’s reality, I thought. The problems she faced brought her setting to life and showed us who Fern really was, from her past to her present.

There were two main characters and a handful of side characters. I liked the nature of Tristan and Fern’s relationship, how it physically worked. It was really neat to see the two overlap the way they did and to see the connection between them. The niece was a lot of fun and someone I’d love to see more of. The main FBI agent kind of got on my nerves at points. His actions didn’t always make sense to me and it felt like he went back and forth a lot. One minute he trusted and believed Fern, the next he refused to allow her to help because she was a civilian. I know it was a novella and that means short, but I would have enjoyed more character development throughout a longer story. That said, they were still fun to read about and for the most part, relatable.

The story had an unusual style for the first few chapters. It took two or three chapters for me to do a double take, but I noted that it was actually told in two different tenses. The way and the reason Swanson did this made sense, but once we got caught up to the present, she dropped the past tense. I kind of expected the pattern to follow through the entire book. Not that it really affected the read or my enjoyment of the story. The book is labeled as YA, but most of it felt like middle grade fiction to me. The storyline, the writing, etc. It all kind of just seemed like something a middle grade audience would really like and relate to.

Content: There was one mild foul word, but used in its proper context, so I was fine with it, personally. The violence was mild and mostly happened off-screen. There was one actual fight scene and one scene where a character gets patched up (so there was a little blood in that one, but nothing too graphic). The romance was subtle and definitely not the center of the plot. Nothing more graphic there than a kiss. The story does deal with a few dark elements such as neglect and abuse, but they’re very well handled and Swanson doesn’t dwell on them for long when they pop up. I’d probably feel comfortable giving the book to a preteen.

This is the first of her works I’ve read, but I am very much looking forward to her Pearl of Merlydia cause mermaids!!