Swirls (The Outsiders #1) by F.A. Hershey

When I started reading Swirls I thought it'd be a story about a girl going back to her roots in Amazon and finding more about herself and maybe finding some magic powers or something to go along with it.

In some ways it was: 

Julie lived all her life in London away from her true home Amazon. When her dads moves the whole family there for a job, Julie starts having painful dreams about a woman with red hair. She feels so misserable she has to leave behind evertyhing she knew and venture for the unknown roots of her grandmother. Once these she makes friends with Halola, a girl working at the lodge their staying and begins to discover more about the tribe she is partly from. 

And in some ways is was nothing like that:

Julie learns about the past of her tribe and realizes that she is more part of their future than sh e ever expected to be. She is Gifted. She is a Guardian. And it's time for her to start acting like one or someone could get hurt. Ans that someone would pobably be her. With Halola right on her side, the help of the tribe's young leader and a mysterious tousist always around she is about to discover the history of her people and her own.

I really loved the parts of this book describing the Amazon, it really made me feel like I was there. And even if there was not much action at the first half of the book, and nothing much supeernatural I enjoyed it because of the sceneries and everything that was going on in Julie's head. I could really connect with her saddness of leaving everything behind and starting anew, even if I've never done it in such a great scale.

The second half was where the characters got to interact with each other more. Julie finally visited the tribe and learned some things about herself and who she is supposed to be. But when the story was progressing I ofund myself not feeling like I did about Julie, she was so confused and unsure I didn't like her that much, on the other hand I started liking Halola even better. She is a great character. I wish there was more action in this book, there was a chapter at the end which I thought was going to be a cool action scene but it really wasn't, I want to see them using their powers in real danger. I hope I will in the second one.

★★★★☆