As seen on my blog: 
 3.5 STARS 
 I've read enough paranormal YA this past year to last any occasional reader a LIFETIME. I've read about vampires, werewolves, shifters, demons, angels, fairies, dwarfs...do you want me to go on? Sadly, there are times when the story lines of these books become SO painfully similar, that I have to stay as far away from the genre as possible for fear of losing my sanity, and, most importantly, my will to read. With all of that wonderful emotion off of my chest, I can say, with no doubt in my mind, that The Forgotten Ones was a breath of paranormal fresh air. Because the synopsis doesn't mention it, I won't expose the paranormal beings that occupy the pages, but I WILL tell you, that if you're a fan of them, you're going to thoroughly enjoy The Forgotten Ones. 
 It starts off with your usual teenage angst, lovelust, and slightly off-kilter family. And then the paranormal creeps in. It was a slow creep, a deeply satisying one. The big reveals weren't THROWN at you all at once, both you as a reader, and Allison as the main female lead, are given the time to digest the huge revelations, are able to wrap your mind around every detail as it comes, before you're overwhelmed. I loved the way Laura Howard made this happen. It's like she took the time to read 100 paranormal YA books, and then sat down and said "Okay..I'm going to do this RIGHT." She did the dialogue right, she nailed the teenage emotion, and my GOD did she have me wishing all romances in teen books were like Allison's and Ethan's. It was sweet, in an innocent way, with not one ounce of obnoxious, hormone-enraged, I NEED YOU NOW OR I'LL DIE moments. UGH..hate those. 
 I actually had this book sitting in my Kindle for a while before I actually picked it up for this tour, and after reading it, I realized how much I WISHED I had picked it up when I was reading hordes of paranormal YA a couple of months ago. Laura Howard is definitely a new YA author to look out for. If, like me, you have had the pleasure of speaking to her, and have this book on hand..READ IT NOW. 
 Recommended for Fans of: YA Paranormal Fiction, Romance, Contemporary