Review of DANGEROUS REFLECTIONS

Dangerous Reflections by Shay Fabbro

Series: Book 1 in Alexis Davenport series

Alexis Davenport wants to go home. She hates her new school, her mother for moving her away from her friends, living in her aunt's guesthouse, and her father for walking out.
To make matters worse, Alex is haunted by the images of strange girls reflected in her mirror. It is bad enough juggling homework, a relentless bully, boys, and a deadbeat dad.
Now, she must save the world from an evil presence hell-bent on changing the past - and our futures. Who knew her A+ in history was going to be this important?

My Review:  4/5
Being a teenager is tough.  Even when your circumstances are ideal.   But when you add dysfunctional family and poverty to the mix, life REALLY sucks.  Just ask Alexis Davenport.  She's been left penniless and abandoned by her father, uprooted from her home, separated from her friends and transferred to a new school, all because her parents can't get their act together.  Sounds harsh, right?   Well, to make matters worse, Alexis starts seeing things that make her question her sanity.  There are girls, who are definitely not her, looking back at her in the mirror.  Great!  That's just what she needs!

Cue the entrance of a hot new crush, who really gets her blood pumping, the evil popular girl hell bent on humiliating her, who, oh yeah, also happens to be dating said crush and you've got 4 yrs of high school anxiety doled out in the span of months.  Then, as if simply seeing strange people isn't enough to freak her out, she's being painfully transported back in time against her will.

I don't know if there's any other person better suited to save the day than Alex.  She's a smart cookie with great instincts.  It would be one thing if Alex could travel through time, walk around and appreciate or experience things she's only read about in her history books (she's a big history buff after all), but no, her situation won't be that simple.  She's being sent back for a purpose.  And the stakes are high.  Like she doesn't have enough to deal with as it is.


It's heartbreaking to witness her experience the emotions and hurt that come with the realization that a parent has abandoned you.  It's not like she and her father, Gary, were close to begin with.  But, to a child it should feel like a given that your parents love you and consider your welfare above theirs, no matter what happens in their lives.  She doesn't necessarily want anything to do with him, but that doesn't mean the desire to feel wanted isn't there.

It took me a few chapters to get into this book, when I did, I loved it.  Shay Fabbro perfectly captures the voice of a teenager.  I laughed quite a bit as Alex has bouts of ungratefulness, tantrums, sulking, outbursts, thinking she knows it all, all while struggling not to wear all her emotions on her sleeve.  Sounds familiar, right?  Like maybe every emotionally unstable, sullen teenager out there.  But, Alex isn't a bad kid.  On the contrary, she's very well-rounded.  Especially considering the circumstances of her upbringing.  She's an excellent student, makes friends easily, holds down a job and shows a great deal of growth and maturity as the story develops.  I really enjoyed her inner dialogue and she tries to juggle being a supportive daughter, a good friend, a dedicated student and a time traveler/hero.

What I liked best about this book is that although Alex can travel back in time, her REAL super power is her intellect and her willingness to follow her instincts.  I rally behind any book that empowers girls to wield their intelligence instead of their looks.  I hated for the book to end with no sequel at the ready (patience isn't my greatest virtue...the sequel is due to be released at the end of this month, for goodness sakes!), especially with the terrific cliffhanger we're left with.  I would recommend this book series to everyone Jr. High age and up.


Interview with author Shay Fabbro and giveaway of a copy of her ebook starting tomorrow!

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