Review: The Clearing

Book: The Clearing
Author: Heather Davis
Pages: 228
Published: April 12th 2010 by Graphia
Source: netGalley

Amy, a sixteen-year-old recovering from an abusive relationship, moves to the country to start a new life with her aunt–all she wants is for everything to be different. In the clearing at the back of Aunt Mae’s property, she makes an amazing discovery—Henry, a boy stuck in the endless summer of 1944. Henry and his world become Amy’s refuge and she begins to learn that some moments are worth savoring. But when the past and present come crashing together, both of them must find the courage to face what is meant to be, even if it means losing each other forever.

I have been looking forward to this book since I first heard about it (and that was a while ago, okay?) and I was so excited when I finally got it. I was a little worried at first -- The Clearing got mixed reviews from a lot of the blogs I've seen, but I had nothing to worry about.

So I was really impressed with how I immediately got a sense of both Amy and Henry's characters from their alternating perspectives. I felt so extremely sad for Amy; I can't imagine what it would be like to have to deal with an abusive relationship and still be so…well, I can't exactly say hopeful, because that's not really what she was, but I don't think she lost herself. She frustrated me a few times, but I think that was just her being stubborn. Henry was such a sweet guy, I completely loved him and the way he helped 'fix' Amy, in a sense, after what happened to her.

I thought that their relationship could have been a bit better developed. It was so sweet and pure, but I thought that a lot of their relationship was them apart, longing for one another. I was really interested in Henry's eternal summer thing -- it confused me a lot at first, I had a bit of trouble keeping up, but luckily that got cleared up later on, though I do wish that it had been explained better nearer to the beginning. I thought the plot was evenly paced, and I think my favorite parts were the ones with the clearing (kinda obvious, I guess). The ending…oh my god, it broke my heart and made me so extremely happy at the same time. I think it's amazing when an author can do that to you.

The Clearing was an impressive book and I'll definitely be looking out for any future novels of Heather Davis's, as well as her previous book, Never Cry Werewolf.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Cover: I love this cover. It's so beautiful and simple! The colors are amazing and I love how the red dress that Amy's wearing stands out (it really is actually quite significant in the book) against the paler colors. I love the font and the boy at the bottom over there (Yeah, I didn't see it at first either), who I assume is Henry. Gorgeous!