Spark
Rachael Craw
Walker Books
pub. 2014
Sequels: Stray (2) and Shield (3)

12 April, 2021

Spark by Rachael Craw is the story of Evangeline Everton, her best friend Kitty and boyfriend(ish) Jamie Gallagher.

Jamie and Evie, as she likes to be called, have a relationship before the story starts when they are young teenagers and Evie touches on the memories at the start of the book. In the beginning, she tries to avoid Jamie but terrifically fails, falling right into his arms, literally.

It all revolves around a willow tree which is the final place at the end of the book. Jamie ‘pushes’ Evie, and all she can remember is that his friends come in laughing and it was traumatising for her as a little girl and stuck with her throughout the book.

At the start of the holidays, Evie experiences back pains which she describes as a zip zap feeling going down her spine. When Evie and Kitty are out shopping for a dress for Evie for the Governor’s Ball, Evie experiences a wild adrenaline rush which heightens her senses and allows her to save Kitty from having boiling hot water spilt on her. When she gets home, her Aunt Miriam reveals that Evie is a Spark, bound to protect her Spark who happens to be Kitty.

Will Evie be able to protect Kitty from her unknown killer and will she settle her grudge against Kitty’s brother and her secret crush Jamie? I Guess You Will Have To Read the book and find out.

This first book out of three is terrific and is definitely worth reading. I would recommend it for readers 13 and older.

I opened the book and I couldn’t stop reading; I basically finished it in one day. I feel like it captures the everyday life of a 16-17-year-old girl with a few twists and turns along the way. I became so attached to all the characters and I wanted to read the second book, which I also recommend.

Evie is so relatable with her ‘not wanting to care about everything but secretly caring’ in her head. Kitty is the one friend everyone wants; she is kind, thoughtful and just an amazing girl all up.

Jamie is the guy all the girls want and what all the guys want to be like. Miriam, who is Evie’s aunt, is a strong powerful woman and I think Evie is very lucky to have her.

The writing in Spark describes all of the characters so well, it felt like I was watching the book play out in front of me. Like all the fights I could feel, both physically and emotionally.

Ariana is 13 and lives in Rangiora.