Julia Medoff

Julia Medoff
Double
Jenny Valentine
Fiction
Just Right
Just Finished

1. The ending of this book was very unexpected. Chap's secret is uncovered by an odd friend Floyd. He tells Chap about Frank, Cassiel's brother's, past. Floyd explains that Frank was stealing money from one of his customers. He slowly took all of this man's money out of his bank, and then he killed him to hide the evidence. Before Cassiel went missing, he found out about Frank's secret, and blackmailed him into giving Cassiel all of the money that was stolen. Frank was not aware that this person who blackmailed him was actually his brother. He just assumed that it was someone who discovered this crime, and Frank was obligated to hand over the money, unless he wanted to be turned in. Floyd then determined that Frank eventually found out that Cassiel was blackmailing him, and then killed him. Though this prediction had not yet been proved, Floyd had evidence. Cassiel, on the day he disappeared, handed Floyd files of papers that led into the Website that held the money. If Cassiel truly was dead, then Frank knew Chap's secret that he was not Cassiel Roadnight. Chap and Floyd decided on a plan to uncover Frank and turn him in to the police. They developed a plan to take down Frank on the night of the fireworks, which is the same day Cassiel disappeared two years ago. On that day in the book, such surprising things happen, that it will change your outlook on the book completely. Read and find out all of the twists and turns that occur in this unique ending.

2. Overall, the book was very unexpected and included many twist and turns. The book started off slowly, and I felt myself constantly waiting for a new clue to be revealed. As I continued to read on, the book got more interesting and questions and thoughts were starting to get answered. The characters each had their own personality and were very distinguishable from one another. For example, even though Chap and Cassiel may have looked alike, they were completely different characters. You could tell that their personalities would have been very different. There were multiple themes that I found could work for this book, and they reoccurred throughout the story and were played out by the character's actions. At some points, I questioned whether this book would really keep me thinking, but the exciting end really changed my opinion. The author held back and did not reveal much about the book in the beginning but, in the end, all of my questions were answered, and it was full of suspense. This is a new author for me and I really enjoyed her style of writing. The book was a very good read.

3. An overall theme that I have noticed throughout the book was faith versus doubt. This theme was illustrated through the plot and characters. In the beginning of the book, Chap is faced with a decision to possibly assume this missing boy's life or continue on with his identity and live alone. He had many doubts making his decision, realizing that both choices could either be good or bad. He also questioned whether, if he was to take Cassiel Roadnight's identity,  it was fate that he would choose that option. It could be that if he was meant to take Cassiel's life, this choice would bring him to a better part of his own life. On the other hand, if he were to be honest and tell the truth, he could discover his true identity and improve his lonely situation. When Chap makes his decision he is faced with more questions about what his fate will be. Not knowing the outcome, he questions his options and what would work out best for him and his friends. This theme of faith versus doubt is very recurrent in the story, and is embedded in the plot and characters.

4. My favorite character is Edie. She has been my favorite character throughout reading the story. Edie is a very honest person and truly cares for Cassiel. When Cassiel arrives home and is not acting like himself, it is clear that she is worried and wants to solve his issue. For example, Edie is always talking to him and making sure he is calm. Towards the end of the story, my perspective on Edie changed somewhat, however. It was clear that she was a strong, tough girl but, in the end of the story, you could see her insecure personality break out. She was worried for Cassiel, and she knew something was up with him. It was such a shock to have her brother, who had been missing for two years, suddenly come back and be with her. The book portrayed Edie as a strong young girl who cared for her family but was also vulnerable.

5. My least favorite character is Frank. He has been my least favorite character for most of the book. Bad truths are revealed about him in the end of the story that prove he is a person without morals. Chap's friend Floyd uncovered that he was stealing money from one of his clients. Floyd concludes that he must have killed the client after all of the money was now in his own account. Cassiel then found out about Frank's secret and blackmailed him until all the money was turned over to him. Floyd and Chap now assume that Frank must have uncovered the blackmailer, realized it was Cassiel, and then proceeded to kill him. These terrible crimes make Frank a liar and bad person. Floyd and Chap then make a plan to turn Frank into the police.

6. The ending was very unexpected. It was clear that the ending of the book would be very exciting as the book unfolded because of all teh unexpected events. The beginning of the story started off slow and little was revealed abut the ending. Since the reader was waiting for so many questions to be revealed, when the ending came it was really exciting. All of your questions were answered. It turned out to be a little different than what I had predicted. It was full of action and included a lot of detail, so you did not find yourself getting lost. The author gave little clues that woulds lead to the conclusion. At time, you could somewhat predict what may happen, but at other times it was hard to tell. The ending was very long, so in the beginning some clues were given out about the ending part. For example, towards the end, Floyd explained to Chap all of the things he knew about Frank, so you could predict that Frank's secret would be uncovered to all. The ending was full of action, and ended up being really the best part of the book.