REVIEW: Under Zenith by Shannen Crane Camp

(Disclaimer:  I received an ARC of "Under Zenith" by Shannen Crane Camp from MerpSquad Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions in this review are my own.)

Here's the blurb:

It was the most important day of her life, and for 21-year-old Isla Edison, graduating from college with a useless degree in vocal performance was all part of her master plan. Dying in a car accident only hours later wasn’t part of that plan. Yet there she was, standing over her own lifeless body and panicking about ruining the truck her parents had bought as a graduation present. Talk about a bad way to repay them.

If coming to terms with the hereafter wasn’t enough to deal with, Isla suddenly finds herself stuck with Hayden, a gorgeous Brit with a bad attitude and a penchant for throwing her off cliffs to keep her in line. Worst of all, Hayden is her Guide, and until she completes six impossible and totally random tasks to reach her mysterious Destination, she’s stuck with him. Isla’s major problem, though, is that she doesn’t know what reaching her Destination actually entails, and soon the mystery surrounding her new afterlife seems more ominous than any purgatory she could possibly imagine. Now Isla must decide if she’ll trust her dark and brooding Guide despite his “bad boy” act, or if she’ll risk failing her tasks and facing the unknown alone.

 My Review:

Ohmigosh, I loved this book!  Imagine this scene.  You have just graduated college and gone out to celebrate with your family and best friend.  After the meal, you parents present you with a new truck!  What a great day, right?  You drive off, and on your way to where you are going next, you swerve to avoid hitting a dog in the road.  Next thing you know, you're feeling really sluggish, and not at all like yourself.  Then you find out there is a reason for that.

And Isla thought college was tough.  She hasn't seen nuthin' yet.  I have not read many books written in the first person and found Isla's voice very refreshing.  As she transitions to her new state of being, Isla holds on to some of her live human female concerns about her looks, her family, her life.  Enter Hayden, tall, dark, and British.  And perfect foil for Isla, as Hayden is her 'guide' though this antechamber to the afterlife.

I especially liked the thought that the setting came out of Isla's mind and memories.  How often in our lives are situations in which we find ourselves (good or bad) of our own making?

I had to force myself to go to sleep the night I started reading this book, because I did not want to stop reading.  To top everything off, I just checked on Amazon (not that I'm stumping for them), the Kindle price is only $2.99 (for now).  If you have three dollars and are looking for a great read, you need look no further.

5 STARS!

About the Author:

Shannen Crane Camp

Shannen Crane Camp was born and raised in Southern California, where she developed a love of reading, writing, and anything having to do with film. After high school, she moved to Utah to attend Brigham Young University, where she received a degree in Media Arts and found herself a husband in fellow California native Josh Camp. The two now live in either California or Utah... they still can't decide.

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