When

Author: Victoria Laurie

Rating:  ⅘ stars

Note: This story contains content

about death and other related things, but

isn’t a book that is going to keep you up at

night. However, If you are uncomfortable

with these topics, don’t read!

The book When by Victoria Laurie is about a girl named Maddie Fynn, who has the unique and mysterious ability to see people’s death dates. Since she was a little girl, Maddie has seen black numbers floating over any person’s forehead, indicating the day, month, and year that person was going to die. Maddie has always seen her ability as a curse, but her alcoholic mother views it as an opportunity to make extra money by “reading” people. One day, when Maddie is doing a reading for a client, she notices that her son’s death date is very soon. When she tells the woman, she wants to give more information, but is unable to, due to the fact that she can only see when a person is going to die and not how. The woman leaves in an angry hurry, not believing a word Maddie said. But, when the boy goes missing the next week on the very day that Maddie predicted, the police immediately turn to her when the woman points her finger. Maddie is now caught in an investigation when more people disappear on the dates she predicts. Unusual things keep happening, and she thinks she is a target for murder herself.

Throughout the book, Maddie tries to find out why the boy goes missing and how the other disappearances are linked to the first. In my opinion, I thought the mystery within the book was really well written, and I was guessing who the culprit was until the very end. I also really liked how Maddie grew as a character. In the beginning, she thought her ability was a curse, but at the end, she accepts herself and her ability. However, some parts of the book were hard to follow, like parts of Maddie’s past, and parts of the investigation were unclear. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little bit of abnormal magic mixed with mystery.