2.5 stars

The first half had me happy to read a fantasy that was more original than the standard witch/werewolf/vampire fare. By the end, however, the fantasy element took a turn that was decidedly less original.

The concept had so much potential, and could have been a great story about female friendships, but the focus ended up being on romance, which was disappointing enough - and then the execution of that was not great, either. I hated the insta-romance between Kat and Jack. Not to mention, Jack was weirdly possessive.

Several things were never properly developed or wrapped up. The whole Stork thing was definitely underdeveloped, and that idea was the whole reason I wanted to read the book. There was a part where the main character lied about having a vision, but then there were no consequences for her or "fate." The ending was abrupt and too easy.

The writing itself was just meh. Some parts I quite liked, others were cliche. There was a lot of telling instead of showing.

There were also a few instances of profanity, and one character kept kissing another on the neck. Regular kissing would have annoyed me enough, but this detail made me cringe. ( )

This was a very full book. It was as though the tropes/themes/characters/plot ideas from 3 or 4 other books were all combined into it--the Chosen One, the Magical Boyfriend, a Near Death Experience, New Girl In Town, Divorced Parents, Absentee Dad, Mom's New Boyfriend, etc. It was good, at least I enjoyed it and will read at least book 2, hopefully more. But it was so full, and some plot points just seem to disappear. I was sure there'd be a reveal about date rape, for example, but that just...was no longer important to the story. And there isn't much...motivation? I guess, for the plot--she's not saving the world, or anything active. Just learning about her powers and her boyfriend and OHAI, BADGUY. ( )

Sixteen-year-old Katla has just moved from Los Angeles to the sticks of Minnesota. As if it weren’t enough that her trendy fashion sense draws stares, she learns to her horror that she’s a member of an ancient order of women who decide to whom certain babies will be born. Add to that Wade, the arrogant football star whom Katla regrettably fooled around with, and Jack, a gorgeous farm boy who initially seems to hate her. Soon Katla is having freaky dreams about a crying infant and learns that, as children, she and Jack shared a near-fatal, possibly mystical experience. Can Katla survive this major life makeover and find a dress for the homecoming dance? Drawing from Norse mythology and inspired by THE SNOW QUEEN by Hans Christian Andersen, debut author Wendy Delsol conceives an irreverent, highly entertaining novel about embracing change and the (baby) bumps along the way.

I enjoyed all of the different mythology, but particularly the twists on the Norse mythology. Fun and quirky quick read! ( )

This book has an interesting premise, and I did learn a lot about Icelandic mythology, but it seriously needed a better editor. There were many FULL chapters that simply did not need to be there. So, in short, sloppy editing is holding this book back. ( )