The Opposite of Amber
Gillian Philip
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Release Date: April 4, 2011
Pages: 320
Source: ARC Tour for Teen Book Scene

Rating: 4.5 stars

‘They found the fifth girl right after the snow melted …the place where he left her was winter water, crazed with ice-feathers and dusted with snow. The traces from her body were gone, the ones that said his name, but she had an extra skin of ice that protected her and she looked perfect, like Snow White’. Ruby and her older sister Jinn live together on their own, just about making ends meet. Jinn is beautiful, with glittering blonde hair, and makes it her business to look after Ruby. They are horrified by, but try to ignore, the local newspaper stories of prostitutes who are murdered, their bodies eventually discovered underwater. Then the no-good Nathan Baird turns up on the scene – again – and Jinn starts to change. First Nathan moves in with Jinn and Ruby, making Ruby feel an outsider, and then Jinn and Nathan move out, leaving Ruby alone. Jinn no longer has time to look after Ruby. And it seems to Ruby that Jinn herself needs looking after. Her beautiful glittering hair starts to lose its shine. And then Jinn disappears. A deeply moving, chilling, and incredibly powerful thriller that celebrates the love two sisters have for each other and mourns the events beyond their control that will conspire to drive them apart.

This was a really awesome book! It was really touching and intriguing. Once I started, I had a hard time putting it down, and the pages couldn’t seem to flip fast enough. It was addicting, and I needed to know what was going to happen next and what twists Gillian Philip would throw at readers next.

The plot was not predictable by any means. Gillian Philip made readers suspect so many different characters and would switch the facts around to make other characters look just as guilty. I was constantly switching my opinion on who I thought was behind everything. My sole issue with the book was there were a few brief moments was that I was slightly confused at what was happening. It would take me a few pages, then I’d realize exactly what I had missed.

I loved all the characters in The Opposite of Amber. They were all really well written and very well rounded. I really liked Ruby. She was very personable and easy to connect with. She was just a ton of fun. The relationship between Jinn and Ruby was really well done. It was so easy to see how Ruby was the younger sister, and yes, at times annoyed Jinn, but the bond they had was incredible. Jinn was such a good hearted person you couldn’t not like her if you wanted to. As much as Ruby despises Nathan Baird in the book, you couldn’t really hate him either. He had unpleasant qualities, but behind those it was easy to see how much he cared for Jinn. I loved Foley and his sister, Mallory as well. Mallory was absolutely hilarious and even the little things she did made me smile. Foley was just an all around nice guy.

I would whole heartedly suggest The Opposite of Amber! It was a fantastic read, that will captivate readers until the very last page.