{Blog Tour} Book Review: Liv, Forever - Amy Talkington

Title: Liv, Forever

Author: Amy Talkington

Release Date: March 11th 2014

Publisher: Soho Teen

Age Group: Young Adult

Source: ARC borrowed for blog tour

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When Liv Bloom lands an art scholarship at Wickham Hall, it’s her ticket out of the foster system. Liv isn’t sure what to make of the school’s weird traditions and rituals, but she couldn’t be happier. For the first time ever, she has her own studio, her own supply of paints. Everything she could want.

Then she meets Malcolm Astor, a legacy student, a fellow artist, and the one person who’s ever been able to melt her defenses. Liv’s only friend at Wickham, fellow scholarship kid Gabe Nichols, warns her not to get involved, but life is finally going Liv’s way, and all she wants to do is enjoy the ride.

But Liv’s bliss is doomed. Weeks after arriving, she is viciously murdered and, in death, she discovers that she’s the latest victim of a dark conspiracy that has claimed many lives. Cursed with the ability to see the many ghosts on Wickham’s campus, Gabe is now Liv’s only link to the world of the living. To Malcolm.

Together, Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm fight to expose the terrible truth that haunts the halls of Wickham. But Liv must fight alone to come to grips with the ultimate star-crossed love.

I never know what to expect when there are ghosts and mystery involved in books, but I certainly didn't expect to love Liv, Forever as much as I did. It was a dark but fun and heartwarming read - one that I will surely revisit in the future.

Liv is a very likable main character. She's honest and spunky, and her love for art is just contagious. So I really pitied her when she was killed because, getting into Wickham Hall and a step further away from her old foster care life, she had only been starting to feel like her life was beginning. I did question one line of her thinking, though: if you were a ghost, wouldn't one of your first thoughts be to talk to other ghosts in the vicinity? To get over your fear of them because, hey, you're one of them now, and to ask if they any inkling of who killed you?

Good thing Liv had Gabe, the only platonic relationship she made during her short life in Wickham Hall. Gabe could see and hear ghosts, and although this gift/curse did nothing but adorably scare him, it sure came in handy when Liv died because he was her only link to the living world. Being dead, Liv was surprisingly short on abilities, so she needed help if she were to solve the mystery behind hers and the many other deaths in her new school. And then there was Malcolm, the golden boy who didn't quite love his easy, privileged life. Malcolm and Liv fell in love in the little time they spent together, and, honestly, at first I rolled my eyes at them. I didn't think they could be real, you know? The boy seemed too good to be true, so for the most part I kept suspecting him of being part of something horrible and I just wanted to scream at Liv to not trust him. But in due time, their relationship grew on me and pinched at my heart because he couldn't even hear her. The feels. The pain.

I had a hard time putting this book down when I had to because the mystery behind the killings at Wickham Hall was morbidly fascinating. Everyone was a suspect in my eyes, and I enjoyed watching Liv, Gabe, and Malcolm working together to uncover the identity of Liv's killer. They were a weird bunch, indeed - a dead girl, an outcast, and the popular guy - but that dynamic only made them more interesting. I was so nervous that the author would escalate things to love triangle levels, but thankfully, that didn't happen.

Liv, Forever is like a captivating painting: every line will keep you looking until you realize you've seen it all. Art lovers will appreciate the plentiful art references in this book, but prepare your heart for the bittersweet ending - more bitter than sweet, really, but inevitable and satisfying, nonetheless.

MY FAVORITE PART was Liv and Malcolm drawing together on the glass :c 

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