Return the Heart, by T.K. Richardson

Title: Return the Heart (The Heart, #1)
Author: T.K. Richardson
Release: May 25, 2010
Publisher: Yorkshire
Source: Author

What if your gift was a curse? To a casual passerby, Lilly Paige is anything but special. As a seventeen year old, she is faced with all the complications of a teenager, but deep down there is much more. Lilly has a gift, though sometimes it seems to be a curse. Lilly can peer into the hearts of others - their deepest, darkest secrets are there for Lilly to see - but to what end? Raised by aloof parents, Lilly has been independent her whole life, but soon she will need to rely on her friends to evade an evil that has sold her gift to the highest bidder on the black market. Lilly and her four closest friends are immersed in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, that will not only reveal more about Lilly's gift, but also her link to an old Russian prophecy. Can Lilly and her friends escape the danger that is so close they can practically feel it? Where will their perilous journey lead them - to darkness or light?

To be completely honest, my hopes were not the highest before I ventured into the unknown trek that is Return the Heart. It just didn’t sound like it would appeal to me all that much. But I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

Lilly was a great protagonist. She was strong, independent, and had the heart of a Russian (you will get this once you read the book). Her newfound friends were a little out of the blue, but they were (mostly) great. Claire is the perfect best friend, Seth is the perfect boyfriend, and the twins were… the twins.

The writing exhibited by T.K. Richardson in this book was phenomenal. I admit I was confused sometimes, but mostly I was always completely immersed in the story. There were a few issues I had with it, including the fact that it skips over chunks of time (which I am sort of glad she did, as it would slow the story down), but overall I really enjoyed the writing style.

The entire idea of this book was incredibly unique. I have read some things similar, but there is so much in this book that wasn’t in the others like it that it is impossible to say it is just like the other books out there. I had never really read anything about Russia or its lore before this, but now I am very interested in finding out more.

I would definitely recommend reading this brilliant debut for its strong protagonist, entertaining side characters, great writing style, unique idea that is like some, but is a world all its own, and for its creative ties to Russian mythology. I will be eagerly awaiting Return the Heart’s sequel, as this book left me wanting more, more, more!