13 to Life has got to be one of the most addicting YA books that I have read in quite some time.

What starts off as a relatively simple, and predictable, story of teen love with the tension and supernatural elements we’ve quickly come to expect since Twilight hit the scene, quickly develops layers upon layers of wonderful subplots. Introduced piece by delicious piece we learn the story behind Jessie Gillmansen’s mother’s death, about her complicated friendships, and about the new boy in town, Pietre Rusakova.

The story is riddled with a wonderful wit and charm that comes out in ALL the characters, the plot is littered with off the cuff one-liners and witty observations, which although not necessarily related directly to the plot, certainly add a lot to the character development and overall enjoyment of the story.

I tried not to focus on the fact that the cheerleading squad managed , with their every hop and split, to utterly undermine the hard-won feminine power that generations of women had struggle so hard to achieve.

While it’s definitely a ‘bit of a page turner’, it’s not an aggressively intense story line that has the heart pounding, instead it’s well paced and interesting, relying  creative wording, interesting plots and likeable characters, more than pure action or emotional intensity; although there were a couple of great twists!

It’s definatley a set up for book two, and , although not quite ‘cliff-hanger’, certainly leaves the reader with more questions that answered, but it also leaves with a sense of excitement and anticipation rather than frustration and disappointment; so roll on book two!

What a wonderful debut novel from Shannon Delaney! 13 to Life is a cleverly plotted, well written adventure where family trauma and high school relationships take centre stage, with the mystery of werewolves peeking through.

The writing is clear and highly visual with a subtle humour that I adored. As a taste, the start of chapter one is:
‘I closed the door behind me, heading down the hallway and straight to hell.’ (otherwise known as the Guidance Office at school!)

We also get deadpan one liners from the little sister, a great Monty Python reference that I thought of every time a bunny was mentioned in the book and some very funny flirting.

Above all else this book has amazing emotional depth. The characters might be 16 turning 17 but thankfully they aren’t brats acting out stereotypically pubescent angst. Instead they’re young adults simply trying their best to get through school, develop (and survive) the shifting quicksand of friendship and make sense of their world and how they fit into it.

Jess is a wonderful central character, trying to hold it together after her mother’s death and caught in a downward spiral of living her life to help others. In order to be the sort of girl she thinks her mother would want her to be she seeks meaning in helping others, without realising that she's becoming a martyr. This is handled so deftly and believably that even when you want Jess to stoptrying to be a saint, you completely understand her motivation.

Pieter Rusakova is the perfect foil for Jess. He’s quiet, secretive yet has a wry humour that makes him completely the main luuurve interest. It helps that he’s also gorgeous, Russian and clearly wants to know Jess better.

Surrounding Jess and Pieter we have a great collection of personalities who, while being nicely different from each other, avoid being caricatures of cliched teens. It is often with these that Shannon Delaney’s light touch as a writer shines through as she gives hints of secrets, scars or problems that make them different from each other, without over-explaining.

It’s this light touch that helps this book flow so delightfully. There’s a genuine sense of intrigue and danger, but it builds and builds without a great deal of overt action. And then you get to the last few chapters when you’re thrown into the maelstrom and your heart really gets thumping!

Thank goodness we can look forward to book two Secrets and Shadows coming out in the coming months because 13 to Life has set up some great mysteries and questions. Now that Shannon Delaney has teased us with hints at some of the answers I can’t wait to see what will happen next.