The Healer By C.J. Anaya

General Plot:

A girl, a prophecy and two warring gods equals destiny!

Seventeen-year-old Hope Fairmont longs for a normal teenage life, but with a gift like hers, normal equals healing illnesses and injuries instantly. Keeping a secret like that isn’t easy, but a small town is the perfect place for her to heal those who can’t heal themselves, and an even better place for her father, James Fairmont, to hide his daughter from the rest of the world.

Life takes an unexpected turn when two handsome strangers move into town and begin unearthing other secrets concerning Hope's future and past, revealing to Hope that her gift for healing may be the fulfillment of an ancient, Japanese prophecy gone wrong.

Staying away from these mysterious newcomers would be the smart thing to do, but Victor's gentle, easy manner, and Tie's mixed signals and strange mood swings draw her hopelessly closer to revealing the secret she and her father have been so desperate to hide.

Hope's life is complicated further with visions of a previous life and the arrival of an unknown enemy sent to assassinate her before she learns what she is truly capable of.

With the support of her father, the fiery loyalty of her best friend Angie, and the child-like love of Kirby, a ten-year-old patient, Hope must fight against the forces of a relentless demon god while unwinding the tangled pieces of her past, proving to herself and those she loves that destiny isn’t determined by some cosmic reading of the stars, but by the individual choices one makes. 

Upon reading the vivid description that C.J. Anaya provided me, I could not help but be delighted to read and review the book for her.

I am usually really picky about the YA Paranormal Romance books that I read because they are a risky read. They can either be really boring and typical or super engaging and I happy to say that this book was the lather. The main reason why many YA paranormal romance novels fall short for me is because in some books, there is too much emphasis on the romance part and not enough on the actual plot. But The Healer's breakdown was nice. 60% action and mythology and 40% romance.

Although I am not one for mythology, the way the information was presented made it easy to understand and interesting to learn about. And I am a big fan of fast paced books and this book was definitely quick enough and got straight to the point which made putting it down difficult.

Just as a warning: the ending is a heart-wrenching cliffhanger. I literally sat there dumbfounded thinking to myself, "Is something wrong with the computer? There has to be more." Sigh, the struggles of escaping into a good book only to realize out you have to read the next book.

My favorite part of any book is always the characters. I loved the multiple dimensions that every character in The Healer had. Some great characters were Tie, Victor, Dr. Fairmont, and Kirby who were all very well-rounded and given relatable characteristics. Hope, the main character, was a character that is easy to connect with and putting yourself in her shoes was easy. Sometimes, I would feel frustrated by her lack of attention to detail and I constantly wanted to say "How could you not see this before?" But overall, she was a strong independent girl and a great main character.

The book was also surprisingly quote worthy and I laughed a few times as well.

Final Verdict:

A must read for anyone interested in mythology, romance or intense fight scenes. This book does not drag on making it a quick and easy read filled with thorough character development and amazing descriptions.

You can find C.J. Anaya at www.authorcjanaya.com and read the first chapter of The Healer at www.wattpad.com/story/17997848-the-healer.

Let me know what you think about the book or if you would read it yourself.