impossible

impossible
nancy werlin
ya/fantasy
dial books
published 2008

Lucy has nine months to break an ancient curse in order to save both herself and her unborn daughter.

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child’s birth. But Lucy is the first girl who won’t be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents and her childhood friend Zach beside her. Do they have love and strength enough to overcome an age-old evil?

My second Nancy Werlin book and like the first, I'm not sure how I feel about it.  I alternated between loving it and hating it I suppose.  Lucy is interesting.  She's sweet, loving and .... logical.  Somehow that makes her quite unbelievable as a teenage character. 

I was intrigued right away and since I was reading this at the same time as Extraordinary, I found myself enjoying these characters more than Phobe and Mallory.  But there are similarities in the things I didn't like about both although still I just can't put my finger on it.  At times the writing irked me, situations seemed completely implausible which is unfair because it's a fairy tale!

The riddles were intriguing.  I loved Lucy's relationship with Soledad & Leo, even her relationship with Miranda pulled at my heartstrings.  It's a nice turn from the usual YA novels where the teen turns her back on her parents (especially foster parents) and depends only on a best friend and a boy.  Lucy most definitely has a strong relationship with her best friend Sarah and comes to depend on Zach for his strength and love, but she loves and respects her foster parents fiercely and it was refreshing.

So I just can't understand why I didn't absolutely love this book, but I didn't.  That being said, I can say if someone asked me if they should read it I'd say give it a try.