Review: Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

Title: Dark Companion

Author: Marta Acosta

Reviewed by: Cassie

The Fairies Say: Compelling and captivating!

Summary (from BN.com)

Orphaned at the age of six, Jane Williams has grown up in a series of foster homes, learning to survive in the shadows of life. Through hard work and determination, she manages to win a scholarship to the exclusive Birch Grove Academy. There, for the first time, Jane finds herself accepted by a group of friends. She even starts tutoring the headmistress's gorgeous son, Lucien. Things seem too good to be true.

They are.

The more she learns about Birch Grove's recent past, the more Jane comes to suspect that there is something sinister going on. Why did the wife of a popular teacher kill herself? What happened to the former scholarship student, whose place Jane took? Why does Lucien's brother, Jack, seem to dislike her so much?

As Jane begins to piece together the answers to the puzzle, she must find out why she was brought to Birch Grove-and what she would risk to stay there.

I was a bit disappointed in Dark Companion, honestly. I was taken surprise by Marta Acosta's story but I should have expected it. Jane's journey is what is described; dark and mysterious. Just what is going on in this supposedly perfect neighborhood? Why was she chosen, the "ordinary" girl?

First off, I dislike it when authors say the main character is ordinary. If she was, then obviously this stuff wouldn't be happening to her, now would it? Second, I was disappointed by Jane's character. On the back, this is the excerpt we get:

"WHEN PEOPLE MET ME, they saw an unassuming, hardworking, well-spoken girl. But inside I was still shrieking with rage for everything that I'd had to do merely to have the crumbs that others carelessly dropped.

I pressed down my fury until it metamorphosed, as soft messy carbonate does, into a diamond-a diamond so hard it could cut through steel and with such clarity that I could use it as a lens to see the world as it truly was, cruel and capricious.

It was a rage that got me to Birch Grove Academy for Girls and out of Hellsdale. I nestled into my bed, knowing that rage would help me survive here, too."

I may be wrong, but doesn't everyone like a slightly manic, very angry, and all around awesomely pissed main character? Most of the time we don't get that, but I was hoping I could get some awesome book-coffee that resembles that coffee people pay hundreds of dollars per ounce. And it's actually made from some animal's excrement. You know what I'm talking about? Just search up "most expensive coffee" and I'm sure you'll be good.

Anyways, we don't get that. Jane's a cool kid but she wasn't angry. She is extremely smart and finds comfort in the logic of things. She doesn't like having to do things based off of opinions rather than reason and she kind of resents these Birch Grove girls who take their wealth for granted. She feels like she doesn't belong and that she's too plain.

Dark Companion starts off with Jane practically giving her old community the finger and saying "good riddance, Hellsdale!" Now that- that would have made me pee myself in amusement. No, she's rather level-headed and thinks "good God I'm outta this place". She's slightly sad to see it go but knows she must if she wants to succeed- and then she feels shabby in the car she's picked up in.

As far as characters go, I think my favorite was either her best friend Mary Violet or the-extremely-handsome-Abercrombie-model (aka Lucky/Lucien)'s brother, JACK!

Mary Violet is a girl who loves expressing herself. She throws her arms out and belts out one of her poems. She fantasizes about her future and loves mystery and new ideas. She's bubbly, but not in a fake-bubbly & secretly-deep way. I liked that.

Jack is a boy who is wildly artistic and he plays the guitar. What's that, you say? He plays the guitar? Oh yes, he does indeed. And he's got wild black hair and vivid green eyes. And he teases Jane relentlessly and grounds her with his joking. What's that? You want to read about him? Good choice.

Now we tarnish ourselves with the "bad" characters... Well actually there's just one. But still.

Lucien Radcliffe, aka Lucky, is the type of boy who could model for Abercrombie effortlessly, even when he's slouching moodily. He's also the kind of boy who knows this, and dated the whole junior class of girls when he was a freshmen. Hmm. Yes, I'm telling you now that he's a womanizer. And the girls seem to love him because of that, and our sensible, smart Jane can't stop thinking about him. He makes her feel desperate and helpless, even though he's just a pretty boy (with just as pretty manners) and not a man with a gun.

And I'm telling you right now, he didn't do it for me. I would slushie him if I could.

Like so ^^

Overall, it's really captivating and dark but in an unexpected way. I thought Lucky would be this deep, sexy guy who is drop-dead yummy, but alas, no. I thought- no, I didn't know what I thought this story was going to be about. So when I found out what it was about, I was surprised. It's sort of a recycled idea, but Marta Acosta twists it so it's totally creative and new. It's a wonderful book that I highly recommend for Halloween, guys! There are some pretty creepy parts in this book.

Comment and we'll definitely respond (cuz we love them comments!) and if you follow us or subscribe to us, I'm tell you right now, I WILL DIE. And worship you.

Au revoir! Hope to see you again!

Cassie

REVIEW: Pure by Julianna Baggott

Title: Pure

Author: Julianna Baggott

Reviewed by: Cassie

The Fairies Say: Dark and Exciting!

Summary (from BN.com)

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .

Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .

Those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his family is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

First off, I'd like to mention that on my copy of the book, it said that Fox already bought rights to make this into a movie. So, if that's your thing, maybe you'll love this! But before I get into it, I'd like to point out the summary has improper grammar. Everyone does not equal their/they. Big no-no.

Pure is different. I thought this was going to be a lot of different things; I thought Pressia and Partridge were quite possibly going to fall for each other (When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again); I thought she was going to go on some wicked adventure on a fight-to-survive non-stop adventure; I thought it was going to be some epic battle. I was, however, pleasantly (depends on how you view things) surprised. I say 'depends on how you view things' because I did not expect this extremely dark aspect of life. But it is. And it's a harsh darkness, not a dark beauty. But man, Julianna Baggott WORKS IT!

The story begins with Pressia's grandfather telling her the story of how things got to be how they were. Basically, somehow the U.S. was using bombs/detonations in defense and either we bombed ourselves on accident or the opponent bombed us. And from the Detonations, the world shattered. Humans and animals fused with each other molecular-ly and with the earth, metal, plastic, dolls... you get what I mean. Nine years later, Pressia's about to have to stay hidden from the OSR because she's about to turn sixteen. And that means they're going to come collect her either for training to kill, or to be killed.

The characters in Pure were definitely unique. Pressia: tough, but in an innocent way. She hasn't had to kill and she hasn't been hunted. As the story progresses, she matures. She's half-Asian (WOOT!) and she's not only on a journey to survive, but she's also trying to get memories and a sense of family. She wants to live live. Partridge: he's difficult to like at first, and also the 'outcast character'. You know, the one character the author creates so s/he is an outcast (even if for no reason) and we feel pity for him/her even though he might be annoying. However, he is cool in that surgically-enhanced-smart-thinker way. Bradwell: he is blunt and suspicious, and also a genius. He is a complex character and I must say, he was a success for me. The rest of the characters were important, yes, but there are so many and too many of them are deep to keep this post short.

Honestly, I don't think there were any issues. I just didn't take with it well because it's so blunt. It's layered, brutal, and fabulously new. The world is cruel, savage, and has a strange beauty to it. All of the characters are beautifully flawed and complicated. Pure doesn't do tea and biscuits; no, it pours the scalding tea on you and crumples the biscuits onto your burning skin. It's harsh and throws you into such a uniquely disturbing world that it's slightly stunning. As in, whoa-seriously-um-WHAT-WHOA-foreverdisturbed would be my train of thought. I admit, I began the book and wanted to put it down. I didn't think it was worth my time, but I stuck through it because I knew you fabulous readers would like a review. And then, eventually I was drawn in and I wanted to return to reading it.

Pure is a world where humanity's cruelty is really highlighted and elaborated. Unimaginable monsters pop out of the pages, countless strangers are murdered in cold blood, and the world keeps spinning despite these horrible things. It's definitely something that will stick with me, and if it does become a movie, I will probably go see it. But it might be rated R so I'm not sure if I really want to, knowing what happens on these pages.

Don't let the darkness of it scare you off though! And, don't forget to follow us! We have 0 followers and we always follow back and I will make sure it is worth your time!!

Cassie :)

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

Title: Lost Voices

Author: Sarah Porter

Reviewed by: Cassie

Rating: 2.5 glass slippers

Summary (from BN.com)

Fourteen-year-old Luce reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of her grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid.
A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder?

I decided to read this book because I had read reviews saying to hold up their prejudices about mermaids and give it a chance. The plot they presented seemed intriguing and quite frankly, I wanted to read something about mermaids. Lost Voices is a haunting tale about murderous siren/mermaids. The characters are very conflicting and tortured, the world is stunning, and the ideas to create it are very impressive.

You must be wondering, however, why I rated it as only OK. The reason? Well, it was a bit too haunting for my taste. It's a dark book with murder and various other dark things. But what was nice was that it's a mermaid book that's dark, and that it's very unique. I did have my dislikes, but I also had my likes.

The plot-

I won't get too into it, but you find out right away that all of the mermaids come from a dark past and dislike humans. They enjoy luring them to their deaths, except for Luce and Miriam. To combine the theory of sirens, tortured young girls, and mermaids is a very unique twist. However, for me, it just didn't go well with my system. It may have been the fact that there's no romance with the main character (horrible, I know) and that Luce is only fourteen. The girls just seemed way too young for such a dark plot, but it's definitely got the wow-factor going on and it's definitely a beautiful darkness.

The heroine-

Luce has a very dark past that we learn and is very socially awkward and a loner. She also happens to be a reader. Now usually I'd be all "wow that's awkward! ... and totally me." But the thing is, she is extremely socially awkward. She wins gold medal for it. She had no friends in her school and even in her mermaid tribe she is an outcast, despite her abilities. However- she has a very good heart. While 99% of mermaids are murderous, dark human-haters, she is the sole mermaid in her tribe to actually want to save humans. She's complex and she acts in what she believes in, despite the deadly consequences.

World-

I felt like the world was also darkly beautiful. While their singing was deadly, it was gorgeous. While the mermaids were murderous, they were beautiful. While people died, they died in elation. Also- the creatures and environment is described masterfully and the details are impeccable. Plus it's mostly in the ocean, so that was nice. :)

I believe the sequel is out, and that there's finally a boy (GASP) in it... I'll have to read it soon!

Until next time-

Cassie

P.S. - now that I'm back in school I am in BOOK WITHDRAWAL!!! Gah! Anyone else having the same issues?