Review: DRAWN by CECILIA GRAY

Title: Drawn

Author: Cecilia Gray

Release Date: December 12th 2013

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: Paranormal Mystery Thriller

BLURB

A wholly original tale of friendship and betrayal through the eyes – and lies – of one extraordinary girl. 
Sasha has a secret – that she can make you spill your secret with nothing more than a question. Her strange gift makes her a burden to her foster family and a total freak of nature. Not that Sasha cares. Why should she when no one cares about her?
Then the CIA knocks on her door. They want to give Sasha a new identity and drop her into a foreign country to infiltrate a ring of zealous graffiti terrorists. They want to give Sasha something to care about.
To survive a world where no one is who they seem, Sasha needs to make people trust her. But when that trust blossoms into love, Sasha is forced to decide between duty and friendship, between her mind and her heart, and whether to tell the truth or keep her secrets.

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Review

I began Drawn with several preconceptions, having previously read Cecilia Gray's The Jane Austen Academy series, but though there are a few points of comparison, the author has proved herself capable of crossing genres with huge success.

Sasha is a strong heroine, like Emma, Fanny, Lizzie, Anne, Eleanor and Kat, but unlike them she lives in a dark world where she is unsure of her identity, defined instead by her 'talent'.

Sasha is fifteen when we meet her, soon to have her sixteenth birthday. Even st her young age she is taken from her position in the FBI to work for the CIA. It is Sasha's passion for drawing cartoons that finds her given the assignment of tracking down political graffiti artists and using them as a weapon against the enemies of the US. The CIA is particularly interested in Kid Aert, whose identity is unknown, but his art is infamous.

Sasha finds herself whisked into the social circle of Vivianne, her handler's daughter, and this leads to her meeting Sebastien.

Vivianne is an outrageous character, determined and opinionated, but I love the way she accepts Sasha and encourages her to use her own voice, socially and emotionally.

Sasha learns that she is valuable beyond just her "lie detector" ability and Cecilia Gray concentrates on her characterization and its development.

There is a romantic theme within the plot, but this is secondary to the mystery and tension in the plot. Beyond a few innuendos, Drawn is sex-free, reminding us of Sasha's limited experiences and forcing us to question the way she is 'used' by the US government.
Before each chapter of the story there are cartoons, which I questioned the relevance of when I began Drawn, but Cecilia Gray cleverly links these to Sasha's story and the importance of art to the plot.

I have never read a story like Drawn before and I hope that Cecilia Gray considers writing a sequel. I definitely recommend this original book to readers, both young and old-er!!!

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