Disharmony by Leah Giarratano

Title:  Disharmony

Author:  Leah Giarratano

Genre:  Young Adult/Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  Penguin Australia

Publication Date:  23 May 2012

ISBN:  9780143565680

Stand alone or series:   The Telling #1

Pages:  360 pages

Book Received from:  Penguin Australia (Publisher)

First Lines:  I've been awake here since lights out, wondering how to lay all this out for you.

Synopsis:
A psychopath... an empath... a genius.


Three siblings who will save the world – or destroy it.
They know nothing of each other. They know nothing of the Telling.
But they’ll need to learn fast if they’re going to survive...

My Thoughts:
I really liked how the synopsis of this is short, not too revealing but really draws you in.  Line one, A psychopath... an empath ... a genius.  That alone made me want to find out so much more.

I found the beginning of the story more a setting of the scene than being thrown into action straight away.  We get to meet Luke, who resided in a Detention centre, and Samantha whose job was to foretell the futures of anyone willing to pay her.  Two completely different characters but both interesting in their own worlds.  We are also introduced to a narrator of sorts right at the beginning.  There are maybe two or three chapters from this mystery person and it made me wonder who the third person was in the story.  I am still wondering :)

I think the biggest thing I noticed with this story was how well Leah has done with characterization.  I suppose being a clinical psychologist would have been a major plus when writing stories.  I can say I haven't read any of her other books but I'm willing to go out and buy them knowing that I will have characters that will jump out off the page and draw me in.  Even the minor characters stood out for me as well.

I did have a little surprise about halfway through the book.  This has a bit more of a paranormal aspect than I initially realized.  This is a good thing!

I have high hopes for this new series and I think book 1 has given us a glimpse of what is to come.  I can't wait.

Anyways without saying too much else, if you're looking for a book with a great story line and awesome characters give this a go.  I've definitely found myself another author I want to be keeping tabs on.