Not Quite Ordinary (Darkness Nears Trilogy #1) by Ariana Knight

Title: Not Quite Ordinary
Author: Ariana Knight
Publish Date: November 11, 2011
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 109
Other Books in the Series: None has been published.
Buy the Book: Amazon 
Rating: ★★★★

Sarah, the most ordinary of ordinary girls, is thrown into a world she never dreamed could exist. After discovering a stack of hidden letters from an estranged grandmother, she learns an extraordinary secret - her family comes from a long line of powerful witches. She finds herself caught up in a world of sorcery and danger - a world where she is surprisingly gifted. Sadly, her newfound confidence is shattered after tragedy strikes, and she must decide whether to continue her practice of witchcraft, or return to her painfully ordinary, but safe life.

I really liked reading this novel despite the fact that there were a few things that caught my attention, it makes me excited to read the rest of the novels that follow this one and hopefully after I finish my review books, I will be able to get the rest of the books. It makes me excited to post this review for the fact that I enjoyed this story.

The main character of this novel, Sarah, is a great asset with all of her flaws but can be also a hindrance to the story. Her greatest flaw as a person in this story is the fact that she believes that she is ordinary because of how everyone views her and what everyone tells her. This is what makes her relatable and lovable because everyone can see themselves in her throughout her struggles. But in writing, the main character is supposed to be larger than life and in that, take you away from all of your problems that surround you. So, honestly, it depends on the reader and I honestly enjoy a bit of both.

Secondly, I enjoyed the minor characters including the bad guys and people like her best friends. I start with the bad guys. The way that they are portrayed within the story is uniquely interesting because unlike in most stories where the bad guys are obviously bad, you are forced to call into question everyone and every relationship she has. Now with the minor characters, I enjoyed the diversity in their attitudes and attributes. I liked that her best friends were so completely different and that not everyone got along. 

The dialog was lacking though. It was at times hard to follow and seemed disjointed from the narrative, making some of it seem childish. What the dialog lacked, the narrative made up for it.

Now, I am a sucker for a good family life within a novel whether it gets better through out the novel or starts that way and ends differently. So when I began this story I was saddened to find another family who is broken, another teen mistreated by the parents who swore to protect her at birth. As the story progressed, I was glad to see a growing relationship between her father and herself because it is rare to find any story in the YA genre with that ingredient. 

Lastly, this is not really a bad thing because I really wish that this story was longer because I felt that some key parts were barely grazed. The thing I really wished had been put into greater detail was the time spent with her grandma because I would’ve loved to read what she learned about. Like what was it like when she did her first potion or when she first did something wrong? 

All and all, a great read. Worthwhile for anyone who likes the YA genre.