“People talk about sparks flying, about electricity jolting and I know better than most that those things are true. When two auras collide, in good ways and bad, sparks can fly. But this is different. There are no sparks flying when Ryder and I shake hands. There are no electricity jolts. Instead, the feeling is akin to diving into an ice-cold river. Instantly I’m swept up in a rushing eddy, and then whipped away on a wild current. It’s total surrender. No fight. Just pure adrenaline thrill ride.” Turning Amber gives us a brief yet tantalising insight into the characters from one of my favourite series, Hunting Lila; Ryder and Amber. I admit I never really paid much attention to Amber and Ryder before, maybe because they didn’t have the chance to shine amongst such a fine set of characters, but I’m glad Sarah Alderson decided to give us this sweet novella of how it all began for them both. Amber has the gift of reading what a person’s like by the colour of their aura, it makes her a great judge of character, but it also makes her realise what’s most important to her; and that’s being honest. And that consequently doesn’t make her the most popular person but that’s the way she is. Having Amber’s gift people would assume would be hugely beneficial; you get to know what a person’s like before you properly know them. But Amber doesn’t see it this way, as at some points when everyone’s auras are blurred together it can be excruciatingly overwhelming, so Amber doesn’t consider her power a gift at all. Despite having to go through a tough time, Amber was a resilient character; using her grandmother’s teachings she tried to use her gift to the best of her ability. It was fun watching her stumble across Ryder and come to the realisation that she wasn’t the only one with a rare gift. Honestly I had forgotten what Ryder and Amber’s gifts were. So it was great getting to learn about these characters all over again. And watching the relationship bloom between the two. Turning Amber was a joy to read; with glimpses of favourite characters and uncovering secrets, this was the perfect lead up to Hunting Lila. I hope we get more fun novellas from these wonderful characters as they truly do hold a special place in my heart.* *At the time of writing this review there were no immediate plans that I was aware of, of further novellas from other characters from Hunting Lila. But then Sarah announced this. Which totally made my day!