Illuminated

Illuminated
By Erica Orloff
Speak, 2011. 244 pgs. Young Adult

Sixteen-year-old Callie is spending the summer with her Uncle Harry when they discover a hidden diary inside one of the illuminated manuscripts at the auction house where her uncle works. Soon they are trying to follow the trail back through history to Heloise and Abelard, a pair of star crossed lovers whose love was doomed from the start. Along the way Callie meets August and they can't deny the strong attraction they feel for each other. Their adventures bring travel and danger as they try to trace the history of this amazing manuscript.

I had great hopes for this book, but the characters were not well developed and the instant romance between Callie and August seemed unrealistic. The story had great potential but it fell flat.

AL