REVIEW: RUNNING FROM SECRETS BY STEPHANIE VOID

First Published: January 23rd, 2010)
Format: Kindle Edition
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Bethany has never felt as alone as she feels in Linwood—until she dreams up Chime, a woman on the run because of a magic crime she didn’t commit. The dreams get more and more urgent, so Bethany tries to banish them by writing them down, only to discover she’s stumbled into the role of unwitting controller of Chime’s world.

Chime is real here, and so is the possessed queen, minion army, mysterious professor, Vault Five, wind chimes with a secret code, child’s rhyme that can kill, the naked painting, and other things Chime’s story leads her to.

She has to fix the story without erasing Chime and her world, because if she erases Chime, she will die as well.

The first thing that grabbed me about this book was definitely the title. I found it intriguing & mysterious, and it made me really excited to get into it. And as you read the story, you realize that Bethany (our main character) not only has to keep a lot of secrets, but she discovers even more.

I really wanted to give this book 5 stars, but there were a few things that held it back. The story confused me a bit at times, and never quite explained how it was that Bethany could be in two worlds at once. Also, at some points in the book, Bethany spoke in a way that made her sound way too old for her age - especially in her interactions with her siblings.

BUT what I did love about this book was the imagination and creativity that went into Chime's world. I loved the idea of an author falling into her world, and especially a world filled with magic & mystery. I absolutely LOVED the idea of Vault 5 (I don't want to spoil it, so read it for yourself!) and I found the Queen's character extremely interesting. Even though she didn't get much time in the story, she was actually a really deep character.

3 out of 5 stars. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!