Rivulet Review: Indie

Book: Rivulet

Author: Jamie Magee

Series: Rivulet / A Web of Hearts and Souls

Standing: Rivulet Book 1 / A Web of Hearts and Souls Book 11

POV: 1st person by Indie, past tense 

Genre: NA paranormal, mystery

Source: ebook, Netgallery

Publisher: Mark My Words Book Publicity

Pages: 212

Release: October 3rd, 2013

Unfathomable forces have always contested Genevieve Indiana Falcon, known as Indie. The curse of her cold touch entraps her just as the grief ignited in her past torments her. Yet, her mysterious ability to dream while awake saturates her in the belief that she was not always anguished. There is hope that one day a true peace in her soul can be found. Foolishly, Indie assumes she has contained her life in an odd balance, and she cherishes the visions she sees of the enigmatic boy that held her in a lost time, but can never reach. She grieves for a life she fears she'll never possess, and that grief is a weapon she uses against her aunt who stands between her and her inheritance. Weeks away from her twenty-first birthday, the date where she would assume control over her family legacy, a night terror robs Indie of the balance she was clinging to. Like the dream she had before she lost her family, it predicts a fatal catastrophe on the horizon. The fight between life and death, good and evil, began the moment her thundering heart awoke her. Everything changed after that dream. The one thing that keeps her curse at bay is stolen, and then the enigmatic boy arrives in the flesh. Face to face with her fiery born-again lover Indie realizes that the only way she can prevent the tragedy before her is to surrender everything she was, is, and could be. Can she bend the laws of nature and fight the improbability that fire and ice could ever be one? As far as Indie is concerned, there is not a myth, spoken fate, or curse that is stronger than her stubborn desire to have it all ... including him. (Goodreads)

An interesting book!

This book features Genevieve Indiana Falcon (aka Indie), the adopted daughter of the famous Falcon family. However, in an accident gone wrong, she loses her family and gains an enemy determined to take everything Indie has an inheritance to, trying to drive her out of her own house. It isn't until another accident throws Indie and her friends in a state of deathlike limbo that she's able to slowly piece together exactly who--and what--she's fight against, and the reason behind her strange curse to freeze things. Indie has a deadline of a few days to make sense of everything that has happened, including saving numerous souls trapped by an enemy. Turns out dying can have it's benefits at times...

At first, I found Indie's powers to freeze things a little like Elsa's from the Disney movie Frozen. But then I remembered that this book came out before Frozen did, so there's no way it's just a rip off. Just letting you all know that, in case you decide to try to compare it (don't).

Indie was quite an interesting character to read about. She's gone through quite a lot trying to beat Rasure (her aunt-in-law), who has come sweeping into her life trying to kick Indie out of her own home and deny her of her inheritance. Indie has gone through court battle after court battle against Rasure, and is constantly on her guard around her. Rasure is trying to make it seem like Indie is too unstable to inherit everything her parents left her (money and their manor), and is constantly supervising Indie, waiting for a moment of weakness to attack. Indie is able to keep her cool time after time, able to foil some of her plans and make Rasure look like the fool. But there's always something bigger in the world, and Indie finds that out the hard way with her powers and her friends. Even after Indie finds out that she's died in the accident, she's still bent on trying to set things right and stop Rasure. I definitely wouldn't have handled Rasure as well as Indie would have, that's for sure!

I absolutely loved Indie's support system of friends, mainly Gavin and Mason. Now, before you all freak out, they are not love interests. They are Indie's friends, and they are absolutely terrific. They stick up for Indie, help her through her issues with Rasure, push her to do the right thing, accept Indie for who she is, including her powers. They do a lot to try to protect Indie, way more than your normal friends would. Add that Gavin and Mason are best friends, and that they always see eye-to-eye about everything, and they make an absolutely amazing duo of friends. I wish I had friends like them.

Sebastian, or Phoenix, was our one and only love interest. He ticks off everything in the category: powerful, tormented, and hopelessly in love with Indie. I'm serious. His love for Indie was absolutely swoon-worthy, to the point where it could be seen as a little infuriating for her. He's doing what he thinks is best for her, trying to be her hero. But, like every strong heroine, Indie doesn't need his help, and we see Phoenix trying to come to terms with that, to let her be her own person and fight her own battles.

The plot wasn't bad. There was one character who's betrayal I was able to easily guess, but there was another character's betrayal I didn't see coming at all. There were a few times where I skimmed part of the book, but I noticed that there was the constant motif of clocks, which was nice. I'm not quite sold on the paranormal aspect of it, but I found the ending very satisfying, and hope that there's a bigger build up in the books to come!