Review and Tour Giveaway: Farsighted by Emlyn Chand

Alex Kosmitoras's life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead broke and insanely overprotective, and... oh yeah, he's blind.
Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, an enticing new girl comes to their small Midwest town all the way from India. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Sophomore year might not be so bad after all.
Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable.
With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex embarks on his journey to change the future.

Publishes in US: March 15th 2012 by Blue Crown Press
Genre: YA fantasy
Source: blog tour
Series? Yes. Farsighted is the 1st, Open Heart is the 2nd, Pitch is the 3rd and releases May 21st 2013, 4th is Vertigo and releases May 2014, and Refrain is the 5th and last and releases May 2015

Buy it: Amazon US, Book Depository, Amazon UK, Barnes&Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, or iTunes.

Find Emlyn online: site   twitter   facebook   book trailer

 
    I liked this book so much more than I was prepared to. I know, I know, I signed up for the tour. But I went in with a negative attitude for some reason, and let me just say that Emlyn blew me out of the water with Farsighted. I loved Alex's voice, and although I have no idea what it is like to be blind, I do know what it is like to feel like an outsider. So I related to him on that level very much so.
    It gave me so much hope watching him grow as a character and then learn to accept things that he previously thought was the stuff of the stories. He had no idea that he was having visions, and he started feeling crazy. But then he met others like him, and slowly began to accept that there is more to the world than he once thought. I liked that Alex was an unlikely hero and what he accomplished despite his handicaps.
     He meets quite a cast of characters, and I love how they all play into the story. Simmi is sweet and a bit of a mystery to me. I loved what she brought to the story though, and the confidence and protector instinct that she evoked in Alex. I also enjoyed reading about Shapri. I appreciated that she doubted even though she grew up with a mom that was a psychic of sorts and it went straight up her family tree. I like the confidence she possessed in herself and how she is slow to let people in, but once she does, she is loyal to the core, even when they are involved in things she doubts and doesn't believe in.
    The family support is great in this one. I love that they are present and involved in Alex's life, and that he also has other adults that he can trust and talk to. I also appreciated that the parents were realistic. Alex's mom was loving but she hovered. This would drive anyone crazy, and although Alex understands it is protector instinct because of his blindness, it still is a flaw, and that makes it perfect, easy to relate to, and believable.
     The pacing is good, and the plot flows well. I like how things tie together and while most things were pretty tied up, we do get a taste of a different conflict for the next book but doesn't leave us hanging in a major way.
     The ending is nothing what I expected, but I think that Emlyn made it work for this story, and I am def looking forward to picking up the next one to see if some of my suspicions are true.

Bottom Line: Great fantasy about a blind main character who fights for his friends and to discover his gifts.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Do you believe in psychics?

Giveaway:
Kindle or Nook (Winners choice) US ONLY, If international $100 dollar Gift Card to a bookstore.

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