The two most important aspects of a book or movie for me are: an awesome plot and well developed, Likable characters. Ms. Messenger has created this amazing world with both plot and characters that are not only believable, but down to earth and inspiring. I'm still piecing together certain aspects of the overall plot...she hints at the Neverseen's motives and goals throughout the series, but I LOVE a challenge so I'm excited to see if what I've been thinking are accurate. Since Ms. Messenger is able to tell her story through a series instead of one book, she can use more time to develop her characters and the relationships between them, making them more of a team than a random bunch of characters thrown together, while still moving the plot along.I love this book because it is clean, yes there is some romance, but it's age appropriate for middle grades. Also she might hint that the characters are swearing, but she doesn't include swear words in her writing, which I LOVE because it's hard to find books for my children to read that are this clean. Sophie, the main characters is what every strong willed girl could use as a role model. She's smart and is in control of herself and the choices that she makes, but she's not perfect. She makes mistakes and learns from them. She tries her best to do the right thing even when her choices seem daunting. She cares about others more than she cares about herself, which isn't very popular in society right now. She surrounds herself with friends that help rather than hinder her self esteem, an excellent thing for girls to think about considering how catty girls can be.Overall Flashback is a wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and can't wait to share with my kids. There is action, friendship, teamwork, drama, and an overall sense of staying true to yourself and choosing to do the right thing over what is deemed popular. I can't wait for the next one.
