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Golden is the first book in a young adult magical realism series, with each of the books also being loose retellings of fairy tales. Author Melinda Michaels describes the story that way, but what is really happening is that the world she has created takes place after the fairy tale stories have all played out. This world deals with the descendants of the fairy tale characters. And that is really all I am going to tell you about the plot of the book, because I think so much of the magic in Golden lies in the suspense and intrigue that Melinda Michaels is so great at weaving into her story. There are wonderfully complex characters that while they themselves divide each other into good and bad guys, they are each so much more complicated and faceted than that. The characters were a joy to read about. Some you will be able to predict and others throw everything on their head.

The book starts out with the main character Hanna reeling from a blackout she just had in school. This was scary for her because after her last blackout when she was eight, she lost all of her previous memories. Heck, I would be terrified of blackouts too! I really enjoyed Hanna. I liked that even though she knew her family was holding back on information, she didn't stop questioning them. I hate when characters in books know there are secrets being kept from them, and they ask a couple of times and then just let it go. Umm, no way would I let something important like that go. And Hanna didn't. My only hold up with Hannah was her tendency towards really reckless behavior. Like standing in front of a train (at all!) but then waiting there until the last possible second. That is something that I just cannot get on board with. But other than that, I thought Hanna was a great character. I loved watching her interact with everyone else in the story because all of the characters in Golden were so different! From Owen to that Vann guy, to Hanna's own grandparents. Everyone had their own personality and role and secrets. But some of them might not be what you think!

Melinda Michaels does an excellent job weaving in surprises, and some not so surprises. She gives you enough foreshadowing so that you can figure out some things on your own, so you are not completely lost in the woods, but I promise that is not all she has in story for the readers. Not to mention the great romance as well. Mmm, I would love a side of William. I really enjoyed Golden and I cannot wait to see what is next from this author. I will certainly be reading it.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs