After the disappointments of a sour break up and the troublesome relationship with her abusive father, Noelle heads to the Jersey Shore.  It’s supposed to be another brief vacation with her mother, dull and numb after the

Noelle Ricci as drawn by Michelle Farenci

recent heartaches.  Still, the rumbling waves of the Atlantic shore make Noelle feel at home, as if she’s belonged there all of her life.  But it’s not just the salty breeze and the soft wet sand under her feet that draw her in.  Arden, a boy vacationing a few apartments away, captures her attention and before she knows it— her heart.  The two spend only a couple of days together but somehow she feels as if she’s known him for years.  It isn’t just his mesmerizing eyes, which seem to gradually change color like the deep hues of the Atlantic waters, or his infectious laughter. There’s something mysteriously enchanting about him, from the strange connection they share to the way he seems to hide his age.  Arden is everything she needs, yet nothing she’d ever expected.  Could she trust her instincts and allow herself to feel something so strong for a guy she’s just met? 

While trying to unwrap her heart from the strings of confusion, Noelle is soon surrounded  by unsettling events.  From a corky palm reader predicting a strange future, to Arden suddenly disappearing from existence only to show up in an unsettling dream, she finds comfort in the lulling rhythm of the ocean and the infinite horizon sparkling with sharp, colorful light.

I’ve never visited the Jersey Shore but Danielle does an excellent job immersing me there through her

Arden, by Michelle Farenci

writing.  Her descriptive paragraphs allow me to walk on the long stretch of sand, long lines of catamarans dotting the waters while ocean front homes stand guard over the beach.  The sky becomes a swirling canvas of azure strokes while the lowering sun dispenses golden hues across the sand.  I can feel what Noelle feels, the beachy aroma snaking up my nostrils and my skin sticky by its salty wetness.  But while I bask in the seasonal beauty of the location, I found myself enthralled in the story.  Something is lurking in the seemingly innocent relationship that develops between Noelle and Arden.  He is perfect.  Almost too perfect.  But in that perfectness there’s also a sweet innocence, a strange allure that quickly draws her to him.  

The first few chapters of Mind Key promise a brand new world.  It’s there, within our grasp, but it’s only through Noelle’s inner strength and intuition that we can slowly reach inside its mysterious secrets.  Danielle paints a delicious setting where the typical teenage infatuation dissipates into something more mature—more intriguing.  What deepens the story line and provides the reader with more meat than potatoes, is the underlying connection to something larger than we can possibly imagine.  Tie that with the background drama—an abusive father who shakes Noelle to the core; a mother who’s present but absent in so many ways, and the overall feeling of not belonging, and it’s a recipe for a deliciously written story.

Mind Key is the novel that promises to stay true to the name.  Will the key open our minds and help us discover our own magical journey?

Reviewed by Tamara Rokicki

Learn more about how Mind Key the Novel is being considered for publication and how you can help make it happen!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mind-key-a-novel-about-magic-and-self-discovery/x/10734824#/story