Yesterday, I finished a fantastic book by a fantastic author. The Survivors, the first in a new series by Amanda Havard, is YA paranormal, but it’s not just another Twilight knockoff.

Sadie is a descendent of a group of kids who were exiled rather than executed during the Salem witch trials. They were left for dead somewhere in the midwest in the dead of winter, but they survived, and continued to survive, century after century in their Montana commune. No one had left until Sadie, enthralled by the world she had only read about in books, ran away. She had grown up being taught that there were no other beings like her and her family: immortal with super human strength and other-worldly powers, but learns quickly that is just one of many lies. Now her family is threatened, and she must decide how to deal with her hunger for the truth and her love for her family.

The thing that sets The Survivors apart from everything else on the YA paranormal shelves is the blend of true facts with incredible fantasy. Amanda weaves real history and legend with fiction seamlessly and beautifully. Sadie’s experiences are at once familiar and unique, and sometimes it’s hard to remember that you’re reading the story and not living it. Sadie has stayed with me since I finished the last page. The second book in this series, Point of Origin is set to release this summer, and I can’t wait.