The Athena Effect by Derrolyn Anderson

Caledonia (Cal) MacKenzie spent the first 17 years of her life living in obscurity with her parents who were something of scientific gurus before they ran away and hid from society. Living off the land, Cal quickly learned how to hunt, protect herself, read every book she’s ever been given more than once, and became extremely good at changing animals behaviors from aggressive to mellow. Cal also has the ability to perceive visible auras of people which allows her to change their moods when they threaten her safety.

Cal’s world is changed forever when her parents are killed in a bizarre accident. Sent away to live with an Aunt (Angie) she had no clue existed, Cal is forced to deal with the reality that until she is 18 years of age, she has no options nor does her wishes matter. She is forced into going to a real school for the first time in her life and quickly realizes that she is lost in a civilization that grew up around TV’s, computers, and of course, the Internet. She is basically forced to deal with High School shenanigans and quickly learns how to avoid becoming the girl everyone loves picking on.

Cal also learns the facts of life when she has to thwart more than a few advances of Angie’s boyfriend Paul who really grated on my last nerve just by being in this book. After running away from her aunts Condo, Cal helps a rugged looking boy get out of a tough jam. She later learns that the boy’s name is also Cal, for Calvin, and it quickly becomes a game of cat and mouse for which she is the target. Calvin sees something in Cali that he never saw before. She’s not like the other girls in school who throw themselves at his feet. She wears out of date clothing. She carries a knife on her calf. She’s got mixed eyes, (one green and one blue) and seems to have a relationship with animals. Calvin is forever lost, and the only cure happens to be a girl who is as unique as she is beautiful.

The Athena Effect was kindly provided to me by the author Derrolyn Anderson in return for an honest review. Thank you very much!

The Athena Project is a combination of romance and certain paranormal aspects. No, it doesn't have vampires, Fae  werewolves, or any other noted paranormal race within its pages. The idea behind Synesthesia is an interesting one that I've encounter previously and found to be interesting. It also didn't surprise me when we are introduced to the mad scientist who knew Cali’s parents and were the reason for them dropping out of civilization entirely and hiding Caledonia from him because of his actions.

Caledonia is an extremely intelligent character even though she’s never stepped a foot into any school until after her parents tragically die. You could call her book smart, but she always finds a way to remain one step ahead of her detractors. She knows how to protect herself and fights for those she befriends along the way like Cal’s brother Jarod. She finds a way how to escape from the mad hatter and reunites with Calvin who has slowly become the love of her young life.

I think readers will enjoy reading about Caledonia’s exploits, and especially the romance between her and Calvin. The second novel in the series, The MacKenzie Legacy, releases sometime in 2013 and I’m actually looking forward to reading that story as well.

Title - The Athena Effect
Author - Derrolyn Anderson
Released - August 30, 2012
ISBN13 - 9781476059273