The Covergence – Tenille Berezay (Review)

Title: The Convergence (Converters #1)
Author: Tenille Berezay
Publisher: Tenille Berezay, 2016
Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Science Fiction
**I received a copy of this book free from Ebooksforreview in exchange for an honest review**

This review can also be found on my Goodreads page or @ TeacherofYA’s Tumblr

My Review:

Whew! My pulse needs to slow down now. My heart was pumping like crazy for awhile there! That ending, that cliffhanger…well, I’m getting ahead of myself, again…

This book was given to me for review from an awesome site, Ebooksforreview, and Kathy (the wonderful lady who runs the site) always has good indie authors you can request for a read and review. This one was a little mysterious-sounding, and I knew it was in my interest area, but I really had no idea what the plot was until I read the book. Glad I chose it, and I hope it gets more exposure. So let’s get to it, shall we?

The book starts off right away with Desiree stuck in a truck with the new boy at school, who’s tagging along to a bonfire. Blake Thomas, an “unremarkable” looking boy (however, Desiree sees he’s really not so unremarkable-looking, but she forces herself to see him that way), seems a little off to Desiree. It might be his insessant questions about her life and plans for after graduation, or it might be his perceptive nature that turns her off. For Desiree is hiding a secret, a secret she has hidden for years, and it has kept her at arm’s length from the people in her life. Blake persists in asking Desiree to give him riding lessons, and because she needs the money so that after graduation she can travel, she begrudgingly complies. Each lesson he gets more and more under her skin, trying to peel back the layers that make up Desiree. But she’s used to keeping secrets: her super-stamina and strength have been used only in extreme circumstances, and she’s been able to explain the abilities away or avoid recognition completely. But Blake seems accident-prone, and he keeps alluding to something; Desiree fears he might suspect her of being the girl last summer who pulled a rolled-over Jeep off the body of a man, saving his life and creating a legend called the Phenom.

Soon, she is caught…but Blake sheds light on her concerns: she’s not alone. There are other people like her, converters, that can do the things she does. Just like Blake can. But before she can get more info about the group he secretly belongs to, he disappears, along with her hopes of truly being able to use her abilities and be understood for who she is.

When a chance to get some answers presents itself, Desiree takes it, and deep down hopes it will lead her to Blake…and to the one person that she let it. But Blake was right: she should’ve stayed away.

Is it Classroom-Appropriate?

Yes. It would be a great way to get boys interested in reading: though the POV is from Desiree, she’s a tough chick, and there’s plenty of action to keep them reading. It’s a fun read, and it has twists and turns that no one suspects…I believe it could be a classroom read or an at-home read. However, for academic merit, there’s not much that the book would bring to the table…it’s just an enjoyable and suspenseful science fiction read (I believe it’s more science fiction than fantasy, but it was put in a fantasy category on Goodreads). So if you’re looking for an auxiliary read, or something to get kids (especially boys) reading, then this one is good for that.

Age Range:

Lexile.com does not have it available…this happens a lot with indie books. I would say you could go as young as 12 with this one. No sex, no swearing. It keeps interest for even those with roaming minds. I’d stick with 12 and up. It’s a nice, clean read.

End Result:

★★★★★. There is nothing to take away from that rating: the writing is well-paced and well-written, the plot keeps interest, and the characters are flushed out. Desiree can be infuriatingly distant, but you can understand how hard it must be for her to connect with someone. She keeps thinking Blake’s attraction to her is out of pity, mainly because she doesn’t see herself having anything to offer. Her sarcasm is a defense mechanism, but he’s so perceptive that he can see right through it…most of the time:

“What if I want to stay?” I stipulate. I’m tired of them acting like I’m not in the room, like I can’t handle the responsibility of making my own choices. Like I can’t help.

Blake’s incredulous eyes lock on mine. “Why would you want to?”

Why? To find out about my father. To get to the bottom of Doren’s behavior. To be with him. I match his intense expression. “For someone so perceptive, it’s astounding you still don’t know how you haunt me.”

Love that line. He says it to her earlier in the book, and she throws it right back at him.

In the end, there is a cliffhanger…but I won’t give it away! I’ll just leave you with another awesome quote:

The loss spreads through my system—more powerful than all the other pains, wrongs, and betrayals combined.

Creeping to the rise, I take one last, long look at him. Then, trusting he’ll understand, I move deeper into the forest.

Away from it all.
Away from him.

Like Blake at graduation, I don’t turn around. I don’t second-guess. I don’t even cry. Because when you truly love someone you’re blessed and cursed with the strength to let go.

Right?? I told you…awesome. Just awesome. Berezay, I’m ready for book two.