The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

  When I was first introduced to The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay, I could just tell by its cover that it was going to be a book I would treasure. They say to never judge a book by its cover, but are there any rules when it comes to falling in love with a cover?
  The Sea of Tranquility sat on my To Be Read shelf for a year, but it was never read.
  Until now.
  Nastya Kashnikov died two years ago. Everything from the world she knew was taken from her on that one tragic day. Her identity, her life, her history- all gone. But she lives on today, going to high school for the first time, as a walking shadow.
  Josh on the other hand is living, but he is alone. Everyone around him has died and left him to grow up on his own. Josh can't stand the thought of someone else close to him dying, so he's stayed a loner, not allowing anyone else to get close to him.
  Everyone except Nastya.
  There are books by certain authors (like John Green, Rainbow Rowell, Ally Condie, and Markus Zusak) that are just pure magic and escapism. Their normal, every day paragraphs turn into pure poetry, and the simplest sentence can transform into magic. You'll read a sentence, paragraph, chapter, etc. and you'll just stop and savor it in your mind. That's what Katja Millay's Sea of Tranquility was like. It was raw, pure, and genuine poetry. The only frustration I had with this book is when the characters stirred raw emotions in me. You know the writing in a book is good when you feel the same exact emotions the main characters are currently feeling (in addition to a whole boat-load of emotions you feel as the reader).
  When I finished the book, I had a few days (and weeks) of confusion. When someone would ask me, "Did you like the book?" I'd say, "Yeah..." When asked if it was incredible, I tell them yes but I'm confused. Why aren't I gushing about how brilliant this book is? Why aren't I baffled, shocked, surprised, stunned, and completely blown away by this book?
  Because I expected brilliance. I expected this book to be absolutely breathtaking and gorgeously written...and I was right. This book didn't shock me with its brilliance because it lived up to the expectations I never thought could be fulfilled.
  The Sea of Tranquility is beautiful, powerful, emotional, heart-warming, and a definite must read.

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