Review: Ominous by Kate Brian

CONTEMPORARY TEEN FICTION

The beginning of the end...

After they discovered a shocking secret about the original Billings Girls, Reed Brennan and Noelle Lange's world was turned upside down. But it's nothing compared to what happens next.

One by one, Billings Girls go missing from campus.

The entire community bands together to find the lost girls, hoping they're still alive. Reed can't believe tragedy has struck Easton again, and she begins to wonder if the Billings Girls are cursed. But when the first body shows up containing a message just for her, she fears her friends are worse than cursed: they're doomed.

Wow! What a perfect continuation of the stuff I learned in The Book of Spells. I have to say, Ominous was kind of a shock after all this historical speak and lovely new characters I came across, but no worries. It was shocking in a fantastic way.

So Reed and Noelle have discovered that they have the ability to become witches, and several of their friends actually are witches. Until, that is, Reed starts having horrible dreams. In one, Cheyenne kidnaps Astrid. In another, Sabine murders Lorna. In the third, the disaster falls straight into Missy's lap, and she's gone missing. Reed just thinks of them as nightmares at first, until it all starts to come true. One by one, Astrid, Lorna, and Missy are gone. And no one knows what's going on, until Reed comes across a crazy group of Billings alumnae...

Now, I can't say very much, or that would ruin the whole book, don't you think? But what I will say is, the part right before the ending is terrifying and shocking all at the same time. And then the BAM! that the book ends with is so sad that I can barely believe it happened. And it's very vital to the characters and plot, trust me. Am I driving you crazy with all the suspense? I hope so--you need to pick up Ominous if you've read everything in the series before it. It's definitely worth the read.

Another thing I really liked in Ominous was Josh. He really is a wonderful boyfriend to Reed, caring about her, never leaving her side, undergoing all these crazy missions and quests and digging up soil just for the girl he loves. And I found that so, so sweet! I might not have been a huge fan of Reed's boyfriend in previous books in the Private series, but in Ominous, he's fantastic--sweet, caring, loving, understanding, intelligent, and confident. He's got what it takes to be Reed's boyfriend, and I admire that.

I've gotta say that the suspense and drama in this book was unbearable. I know I say that about every single Private book I read, but in this one, the stakes are really upped. So many twists are thrown in that I don't even know what to say! I'm rendered speechless by Ominous.

Oh my God! This is the second to last book in the Private series! I'm so sad. I've got the Privilege series lined up, though, so I'll still be reading more of Kate Brian in the future. But I can't believe I'm gonna have to say goodbye to Reed in my next review! No-o-o-o! Even the greatness of this book can't soothe my sadness. Even though Ominous gets five stars, I'm still super sad about the series's ending sneaking up on me so quickly!