ARC Review: The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by M.G. Buehrlen
Published by Strange Chemistry
Format Reviewed: eARC
Publication Date: March 4th, 2014
Genre: YA Contemporary, Time Travel
Pages: 416
Reviewed by: Stephanie
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
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For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she's really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World's Fair.

But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can't explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal's office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.

It isn't until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren't really visions. Alex is a Descender - capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.

Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn't want Alex to travel again. Ever.

And will stop at nothing to make this life her last.

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given, offered, or taken to alter this review. 

Honestly, I expected to like this, but I did not expect it to captivate and blow me away. Not the way it did. I was wrong. Miss Buehrlen first captivated my heart when she took me back into Chicago 1927 and we met Blue. Oh gosh. I was hooked from there. I was as bad as Alex. I just wanted her to get back there, no matter the consequences. Then Buehrlen took a knife and twisted my heart with it multiple times and gave the final blow there are THE END. OH MY GOSH. The moment I'd been waiting for and she ended the novel BEFORE we got there.

There have been few books in my life I've awakened to thinking about. I read this while I was sick so it took me a couple of days to finish it but during that time I barely slept and when I woke up in the middle of the night, guess what was on my mind? Yup. The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare.

The plot's execution was great. The pacing was perfect. We spent just enough time in her past lives and in her Base Life. Not a single moment or word was wasted. The villain was completely despicable. I want him taken down. NOW.

First of all, the entire concept was awesome. A chick with 57 different lives? I can try something like that. Alex was a great narrator. I could totally understand her logic and why she felt the way she did. Her character development was gradual and fit her and the story perfectly. All of this development was flawlessly reflected in her Base Life.

Blue, Jensen, Levi, even Judd. How does she do it? Blue was by far my favorite of the group. He's got the everything going for him at this point. He's a gentlemen. Handsome. Kind. Sincere.

Wonderful. We didn't get to spend much time with Levi but I instantly liked him. I'm so glad things came around with Jensen. That was completely awesome. Judd surprised me the most. I didn't expect to like him. Then Alex started talking to him and I was like, oh crap, he's actually not that bad of a person (all things considered).

Honestly, I was afraid my ARC had expired (turned out it hadn't) so I didn't turn my computer off until I had read the entire thing. I was prepared to buy it ASAP if for some reason I couldn't finish though. THAT is how amazing The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare is. Buy it. Read it. Love it.