Bubbling Book Corner Review: “Significance” by Shelly Crane – The Cauldron

BY ASHLEY MOTT

Arts & Entertainment Editor

There is a tale that we all hear as children, the story of two people bound together as if it was written in the stars. We hear that one day they would find their other half, the person they are meant to love and hold for all their time on Earth. It’s a story that even ancient civilizations believed in, even if the details have been marred by centuries-old translations.

However, for Maggie Masters, a 17-year-old girl who is just trying to survive high school after the loss of her mother and being dumped by her high-school sweet heart, there is nothing hopeful about that story.

It seems as though nothing is going to go her way, and the only thing getting her through it all is the promise of walking across the stage for graduation. While her father, being in a deeply depressed state, might not appreciate getting to see his little girl accomplish something so great, she wasn’t alone in her celebration.

Kyle Jacobson, her friend who was clearly in love with her, had been there for her through it all, despite her protests. There is something about Jacobson’s affection for Masters that can be related to on many levels. We’ve all been there: longing after a friend in hopes that they are our other half, the path to happiness. However, despite his love for her, this is just not his story, and Masters is meant for another, even if she doesn’t know it. Caleb Jacobson is her true path, but will a cruel clan of people stand in their way? Will his cousin’s love for Masters create tension in an otherwise seemingly perfect family?

Shelly Crane, author of “Significance,” created a vivid world filled with twists and turns, love and heartbreak, anger and forgiveness. Crane gives readers what they have always wanted in real life, a love story that they know is meant to be. However, she also knows that relationships take work and while Master and Jacobson’s problems may not be ordinary, they make you feel as though you can still relate.

Playing on human insecurities and everyday family drama, Crane makes these characters feel so relatable. Many of us feel insignificant at one point or another, which is very similar to how Masters feels only a few days before her graduation ceremony despite the prestige that comes along with graduating a whole year early.

Masters’ own emotions during her time with the man that is about to become the point of axis on which her world spins, are ones that so many of us who have fallen victim to an all consuming love can relate to.

Craving the touch of your significant other is just a byproduct of human emotion in our real-world, however, for Jacobson and Masters, it could be deadly if it isn’t fulfilled. Supernatural changes start to occur as these two people have their lives thrown into upheaval. Trying to make their way back to each other, the couple faces kidnappings, family feuds and the idea that they may never see each other again.

While readers may never themselves experience such a love story, Crane creates a whole universe where they can feel it all right alongside Masters and Jacobson.

Crane brings to life so many problems that couples have in a unique and paranormal way that will leave you wanting to know what comes next. Their story continues in the next installment of the “Significance” series, and it will leave you asking more questions than you have answers for.