TLC Book Tours Review: North of Here by Laurel Saville

Title: North of Here 
Author: Laurel Saville 
Format:Hardcover
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publish Date: March 1, 2016
Source: TLC Book Tours

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "The sounds of unexpected tragedies—a roll of thunder, the crash of metal on metal—leave Miranda in shock amid the ruins of her broken family.

As she searches for new meaning in her life, Miranda finds quiet refuge with her family’s handyman, Dix, in his cabin in the dark forests of the Adirondack Mountains. Dix is kind, dependable, and good with an ax—the right man to help the sheltered Miranda heal—but ultimately, her sadness creates a void even Dix can’t fill.

When a man from her distant past turns up, the handsome idealist now known as Darius, he offers Miranda a chance to do meaningful work at The Source, a secluded property filled with his nature worshipers. Miranda feels this charismatic guru is the key to remaking her life, but her grief and desire for love also create an opportunity for his deception. And in her desperate quest to find herself after losing almost everything, Miranda and Dix could pay a higher price than they ever imagined."

My Two Cents:

 "North of Here" is the story of Miranda, who finds herself all alone after losing her parents. She is spinning and trying to find something to hang on to. She becomes wrapped up in a cult of sorts that will shake her down totally. It's a fascinating read about the downfall of one family and the aftermath when only ashes are left.

The story itself was fascinating. I am always interested to see how people fall into things that seem to me to be something that you'd want to stay far, far away from. In the beginning of the book, we see how Miranda is totally lost. To some degree, she seems really to only have her parents close to her. Eventually there is Dix, but he already seems to be filling the hole that her parents left behind. I wanted to get to know Miranda a little bit better but she seems quite distant throughout the book. I wanted to understand her motivation a little bit better throughout the book.

The writing of the book was good. It flowed nicely and had a very nice pace. There were places where I would have liked more detail. I really wanted to understand more about Darius, the leader of the cult, and what made him tick and what his beliefs were and how they were founded. The characters in general felt a little out of arm's reach throughout the book. Overall, I wanted to get to know the character's better but the interesting story kept me reading.