The Weight of Destiny by Nyrae Dawn ~ Review

 By Nyrae Dawn

Synopsis:

     When “crazy” runs in your family and your namesake is known for walking into a river with a pocket full of rocks, a girl kind of wants to avoid tempting fate at all costs. For Virginia Nichols, the only way to dodge that bullet is to be perfect at everything: school, student council, life. Too bad it’s all a lie, and underneath the perfection...Virginia is lost.

   

     Ryder Blackstock knows a thing or two about being born into fate. The talents passed down from his father aren't exactly normal; instead of learning how to throw a fastball, he was taught to hot-wire a car like a pro and pick any pocket in sight. He’s got criminal blood, just like his old man. And as soon as he turns eighteen, he’ll be living life on the run with his dad.

    

     When Ryder and Virginia meet on the beach, it seems they couldn't be more different. Soon they discover they’re both trapped in their lives—Virginia denying her fate, Ryder embracing his. Like the rocks in Virginia Woolf’s pockets, the weight of their destinies will pull them under. But being together brings out pieces of themselves they didn't know existed—pieces that make them want to take fate into their own hands and rewrite their destinies...if it’s not too late.

     Back around the end of August 2012, I downloaded an ebook called Karma Bites. It was a YA paranormal. I really enjoyed the book…until I got to the damn ending and it was a cliffhanger. Not only was it a cliffhanger there was nothing about a sequel anywhere. Right then and there, I swore I was never going to read a book by this author again. NEVER!

     Why am I starting a review telling you about an author I swore never to read again? Because sometimes you need to eat some crow. If I had stuck to my vow to never read another book by this author, I would have missed out on the fabulous stories of Charade, Façade, Masquerade, Measuring Up, Searching for Beautiful, Four Summers, Rush, and now comes The Weight of Destiny.

      From the first page of this book, you feel the struggles these two kids are going through as they deal with very adult issues. Ryder and Virginia couldn’t be more different on the surface…or more alike on the inside.

What would you do if your destiny was decided for you simply by the circumstance of your birth?

      Ryder rebels in all the typical ways while Virginia rebels in by doing everything that’s expected of here, except one—she won’t write no matter how much her teachers try to encourage her. They’re both afraid to try—afraid to fail. The weight of their destinies is pulling them down, but sometimes extending your hand to help someone else, rescues you as well.

     Their HEA may or may not include each other, but finding each other could help them escape the weight of their destinies. Nyrae has written a beautiful story that will stay with you from beginning to end.  Don’t miss The Weight of Destiny, at the end, you’ll feel the weight dissipate as a feeling of triumph fills you.

Reviewed by Liz.