Reading, Writing and Being Generally Awesome

As seen on Ed and Em's Reviews!3.5 StarsI'm a serious sucker for dystopian novels. I will pretty much give any dystopian a try, I'm probably not alone in this. Dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels have become so popular lately, which can be a good thing, but it's a thin line. Lately, I've read a few stinkers and I was really hoping for one to pop up and renew my faith in the genre. When I was offered the opportunity to join the blog tour for Stitch, I immediately pounced on it. I was sure this novel would get me off of my reading funk, and luckily, it helped reinstate my love.Stitch starts off with a prologue that you don't really understand until the book progresses. In the first chapter, we meet Alessa, a reluctant college student. Her parents have passed on and it has almost completely broken her spirit. She attends class, has one really good friend and spends her free time wondering about the ghost that seems to haunt her. He's so familiar, but she cannot place him. The more she sees him, the more her curiosity grows. She begins to focus her entire self on this ghost and wonders why only she has seen him and what the backstory behind this haunting really is. What starts as an innocent question turns into an adventure to discover the truth that could kill her and her loved ones.I really enjoyed this novel. It wasn't the best book ever written, but it was a wonderful debut and an extremely interesting start to a dystopian series. The progression of the plot and characters are things that I'm really looking forward to reading. Ms. Durante has really piqued my interest with her story, so much so that I am almost dying to know what is going to happen next! There is so much she could do with the series that I'm pretty nervous to see what's to come. Hopefully, she won't hurt my heart too badly and my favorite characters will survive the horrors that they are sure to face.Alessa's perspective was very easy to read from. I found myself quickly drawn into her life. I really sped through the novel without trying because I got so involved. Stitch is very well written and really keeps your attention without having to force it. I loved watching Alessa discover the truth - a truth that I honestly did not see coming! - and finding herself in the process. She develops into an interesting character. I liked Isaac as well, but I preferred reading about him through Alessa. The chapters focused on him were the ones I struggled with. The minor characters really helped move the story forward and I'm sure a few of them will play major parts in future novels. My only big things were that there were some points that dragged and the world-building wasn't very clear. There were a couple of points where I started to get bored with the story, but the author managed to hook me back in before I could put the book down. The world-building though… That really needed work. The book is told through two perspectives - mostly through Alessa's, but there are several chapters where we read all about Isaac. Reading from Alessa's perspective made me feel like I could live in her world because it is written so clearly. When we got to Isaac's though… I couldn't tell you anything about the area he lives in, the setting or really even the characters he's involved with everyday. That obviously gave me some trouble.I think that dystopian lovers will really enjoy this. Especially if they are looking for a novel without a love triangle and one that isn't emotionally draining. This novel pulls at your heartstrings, but by no means will make you inconsolable because of grief. Stitch is a quick, pretty light read, one that will leave you wanting more.