Elixir by Hilary Duff

Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.
When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.


I am sure I am not the only one who saw this book and went "LIZZIE MCGUIRE HAS WRITTEN A BOOK?!" When I saw who the author was, I was immediately curious as to what it would be like, because I have grown up watching her in movies as a teen and young adult. But it was really good. Duff has written it so that the reader really feels like they know the characters of Clea and Rayna personally. As you read you can feel yourself cringing as the girls cringe, laughing as the girls laugh, and so on. However, despite how good it was, I do have a few critisisms. As an author myself, I know that when you're writing a book, you immediately want to get to the exciting bits. In this book, the exciting bits almost occur immediately, which keeps the reader hooked, but can lead to disappointment because there was no lead-up. Also, the mystery with Sage is solved early on, which does keep the book alive, but I would have preferred for it to have been a mystery for a bit longer, because Elixir appears to be the first novel in a series, and I think if the mystery of Sage was not revealed so early on, it would prove as fuel for the forthcoming books. But nevertheless, it was a great read, and it took me about a day and a bit to finish because I was so hooked. I think the plot line is original and I can't wait for the next book to come out.
Rating:4/5