Banished by Sophie Littlefield

Hailey lives in a small town with her grandmother Alice and her foster brother Chub.  Nothing much happens in Gypsum, Missouri, but life can be interesting when your grandmother is the local drug dealer.  For years Hailey lived a quiet existence with her grandmother, until the authorities found out that she wasn't going to school or getting home schooled - and then a whole new world opens up, going to a public school.  Compared to the good kids at her school Hailey is trash from the wrong side of town, but the other kids from the wrong side of town want nothing to do with her either.  At school Hailey gets picked on by the school queen bee, but she can usually side step any problems. 

That all changes when one of the Morries from the wrong side of town hurts herself and Hailey helps her somehow, using a new force flowing through her veins to reach out and touch the other girl.  You would think she would be grateful, but the gap between Hailey and the rest of the kids at her school grows instead.  Hailey is changing, and the creepy men who hang around her grandmothers house are noticing those changes, and some of them seem to expect something from Hailey.  It seems as though a power is growing inside Hailey, a pull towards those that are hurt, and when she lays her hands on them they heal.  Things get even more complicated when Hailey's aunt arrives back in town - an aunt that Hailey never even knew existed - but fairs fair because she had no idea that Hailey existed.  Hailey is a Healer, and she is more powerful than she knows, and there are people who will stop at nothing to control her life and push her down the path that they have chosen.

This was a great read, adding to the increasing range of paranormal reads for teen readers.  This is one of the better series, relying on a sound mythology and well considered writing rather than relying on cliched love interests and eternal/undying love.  Hailey is a strong character with an intense loyalty to her foster brother Chub, and who has to face some difficult decisions in a short space of time.  Her world sits within ours yet has an element of the supernatural, but you can see it easily being part of our world.  This is the first book in the series and leaves you with some interesting thoughts and hopes for the second book.  This could easily be made into a movie or TV series as the mythology leaves a lot of room to create drama, suspense, and the paranormal elements too.

If you like this book then try:

• Unforsaken by Sophie Littlefield
• The demon trappers daughter by Jana Oliver
• Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
• Invisibel touch by Kelly Parra
• Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
• Firespell: a novel of the elite by Chloe Neill

Reviewed by Brilla