Confession: about 100 pages into this 500+ page book, I wanted to write an utterly scathing review. "Twilight set in a campy gothic Deep South! Another doomed romance, overlaid with too many episodes of Charmed and excessive melodrama!" I would write. But I can't.
Don't get me wrong, now. I still think there are many weaknesses to this book, and I am disappointed in it in light of what it could have been. No book ought to take over 200 pages to lay out clear characterization and setting. (I'm looking at you, Tales of the Madman Underground.) Like many young adult books in the past few years, the writing is bloated and it uses cliche hooks -- doomed romance, mysterious girl, disapproving families, a Chosen One, etc. -- to keep readers sticking with it for hundreds of pages until the stage is fully set. If it hadn't been so hot at my library, I may not have stuck with it.
Despite these glaring problems, it offers some wonderful treats. The damage of secrets and half-truths in families and communities; a teen male narrator (so rare lately!); a surprisingly ambiguous ending; a complex supernatural world that was unbelabored and intriguing (despite the over-description of the trite Southern town); confusing loyalties; a naturally unfolding romance (well, as much as can be expected with magic involved); deeply flawed characters... in short, the things that had me reading those last 200 pages compulsively. I can think of more than one reader to whom I'll pass on the title with a wink and a nod this year... if it ever gets off the growing holds list!
Verdict: I expected this to be to Southern gothic fiction what Twilight is to Wuthering Heights, but it is better than that. Garcia and Stohl just need to tighten up that writing (A LOT).
interesting. it seems like a lot of the books you're reading are YA. is there a reason for that or are you just a kid at heart? hehe.
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