Book Review: Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Ultraviolet
Author: R.J. Anderson
Pages: 304 pgs
Reading Level: YA
Release Date: September 1st 2011 (US)
Review Source: Carolrhoda Books
Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Borders 

Summary: (from goodreads) Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.

Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?

What is mental illness? Is it when a person goes crazy, or is it when a patient sees or says something that is not normal? Maybe things aren’t as they seem and the impossible fantasy becomes a reality. That’s what the main character Alison, thinks about during the novel, Ultraviolet. 

One day after school Alison gets into an argument with her nemesis, the perfect Tori Bearegaurd. As they argue, suddenly Tori screams and seemingly disintegrates leaving Alison alone, bewildered, believing that she has killed Tori. So this is the story she tells the authorities. With no body or evidence, they put Alison in a mental institute. There, Alison feels lonely, for she seems to be the only sane person, until a young scientist relates and tries to help her. However, things are not always as they seem. 

I enjoyed every part of this book. When I got the book, the first thing that caught my eye was the cover. Chilling and daunting is how I would describe it. The writer’s descriptive events and use of imagery, truly makes the reader feel that they are a part of the Alison’s life. The author writes with a sort of dark passion that you can actually feel. There are plenty of surprises that you’ll never see coming and leave you gasping. This is an amazingly, beautifully written, intricate book that you will want to read.