“I saw something in you that I couldn’t live without. I chose you, inside of me, and you chose me. It’s not one sided, it only works when both people choose the other. You are perfect for me in every way.”
Significance, released in 2011, is the first book in the Significance series by Shelly Crane. There are four books in the series, plus some short novellas to please fans between readings. I’m new to the series, but I’m already eager to start reading the second book.
Maggie, age 17, is the story’s narrator. When we meet Maggie she is graduating from high school despite a difficult senior year. After her mother up and left her and her father during the summer, all aspects of her life suffered. Her father became distant, she lost touch with friends, and her boyfriend broke up with her. Maggie does not see herself as remarkable, but in an instant she becomes so.
A chance encounter with the swoon-worthy Caleb Jacobson has Maggie seeing sparks (“literally,” as the book synopsis states). Maggie and Caleb imprint on each other – a move that had me perking my ears up and getting ready for the Twilight parallels. And oh, I found quite a few. But that’s aside from the point at the moment.
In a flash, a simple handshake between Caleb and Maggie changes the course of their lives. Maggie sees glimpses of a future shared with Caleb, full of beautiful details. I found myself caught up in the enchantment of it all, as Maggie learns that Caleb and his family are not quite human – and she is now a part of that world.
I love magical realism, and I quite enjoyed reading as Maggie’s human world blended with Caleb’s “Ace” world. Though Maggie and Caleb are the heart of the story, there are lots of interesting supporting characters we get to know, too. Crane worked hard to ensure none of the characters were flat; they all had quirks and motivations, which I found very refreshing.
Re: the Twilight influence: there’s a normal teenage girl with a gruff, simple father and an absent mother. There’s a bubbly best friend who doesn’t quite understand what Maggie’s going through. There’s the jaw-dropping, drool-worthy love interest, Caleb, who pulls Maggie into his magical world. Caleb, like Edward Cullen, has a family full of interesting, kind people who take to Maggie instantly. Maggie has a friend, Kyle, who doesn’t trust Caleb and has romantic feelings for her (like Jacob). There’s a rival clan who strikes out with intent to hurt Maggie.
And even though I felt like I read this story before, I enjoyed it immensely. I’d like to see where it goes next. While I wish that there had been more of a resistance on Maggie’s part, more disbelief about the situation after she imprinted, I genuinely enjoyed reading about Caleb and Maggie’s relationship and the struggles they faced. I’ll be picking up book two for sure.
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As of right now, Significance is free on the Amazon Kindle site.
Rating: 7/10
Date Published: June 2011
Received: Free on Amazon
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