by Kelly Oram
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Published: June 25th 2013 by Bluefields
Format Acquired: eARC from author (thanks, Kelly!)
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | Amazon
For small-town rebel Dani Webber magic and monsters are no more real than the Easter Bunny… until the day she accidentally stops time. Dani quickly discovers that not only do supernaturals exist, but she herself is one of them. This is great news for her life-long best friend Russ, who can finally come clean about his own supernatural status and his undying love for her. Before the two can start to enjoy the long overdue relationship, Dani is taken by a powerful council of supernaturals who believe she is the Chosen One destined to save them from extinction.As if being kidnapped and expected to save the world isn’t bad enough, an ancient prophecy warns of the Chosen One’s dark nature: “Only the truest love will keep her an agent for good.” The council believes they know who this “true love” is and, unfortunately, that person isn’t Russ. The mysterious, powerful and devastatingly handsome Seer is the last person Dani wants in her life, but when she starts having visions of a horrific future, she has no one else to turn to for help.Soon Dani finds herself torn between two very different boys with two very different opinions of whom she can trust. With the visions getting worse and time running out, Dani is forced to put aside her feelings and work with both the Seer and Russ before an ancient evil is unleashed upon the earth.
Reading Chameleon was like a breath of fresh air for me. After reading so many contemporary books I was ready to dive into a world full of supernatural elements and great world building. Chameleon gave me just that.
There were a lot of things that I liked about the book. First, I really really liked Dani. She's sweet and spunky at the same time. Since she's the Chosen One, her powers are freakishly ahmazing! Her bestfriend, Russ, calls it supernatural awesomeness. And indeed it is! I loved seeing how kickass Dani can be one time and vulnerable the other because of her power. You'd think being the Chosen One would mean you're awesomeness would be on all the time but that wasn't the case with Dani. I also enjoyed reading the story through her perspective because of her rebel personality. She was up and down and all over the place but I loved it! She was truly a strong and well-rounded character that it was impossible not to like her and her story.
Second, I liked the writing. This is the first Kelly Oram book I've read and I was blown away by how smooth her storytelling was and how gripping the plot was. I never felt like skipping pages because it was just that good! The mystery had me gripped from start to finish. You're given bits and pieces of the puzzle along the way but Oram had a way of building up the characters as the story progresses. It's like the more you find out, the less you want to trust anybody -and it was exciting like that! Furthermore, I liked that she incorporated a bit of history and combined it with supernatural beings in one tale. She had Joan of Arc mixed in with vampires, warlocks, witches, werewolves, faeries and the likes. I absolutely loved the world that Oram created in Chameleon! It had the danger of sounding so far out and disorganized but Oram managed to combine all the elements and turn it into something so addicting.
Third, and this is the one I'm conflicted about, is the weird ass love triangle. So..... Dani loves her bestfriend Russ, Russ didn't make his feelings clear early on, Dani meets Gabriel (the Seer), things get complicated when Russ goes caveman on Dani, Dani loves both guys but totally not in a Bella Swan kind of way (thank goodness!). Where does that leave Dani? Thankfully, she's smart enough to make the right choice without. I liked how wrong and right the love triangle was, to be honest. It's unlike anything I've ever read. The love triangle was... understandable. What I didn't like was how awkward and annoying it was for most of the story. Russ was the annoying factor, actually. I didn't see his appeal, I didn't feel like rooting for him because he just seemed like a huge douchebag 90% of the time. I know that it was crucial for Dani to make the right choice because it's part of the prophecy but I think it would have been better if the story didn't focus too much on the drama. Russ constantly bitching about Gabriel's role in all of it was too much for me. That and I'd much rather read about Gabriel and the weird way he talks that makes him sound like he's centuries old. That's sexy. I'm serious.
If you want a fresh, fast paced and highly entertaining young adult fantasy, you should definitely check out Chameleon. It's a great start for a series that will no doubt be as addicting and engaging.
My Rating:
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About the author
Kelly Oram
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.
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