Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre

Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre

Release Date - August 5, 2014

Publisher Website - Macmillan/Raincoast Books
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  372 pages
My Rating - 2/5
**received in exchange for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

In Ann Aguirre's Mortal Danger, Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn’t imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She’s not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he’s impossible to forget.

In one short summer, her entire life changes and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly . . . bad things are happening. It’s a head rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil’s bargains, she isn’t sure who—or what—she can trust. Not even her own mind.

This was one of those novels where I had high expectations going in. A deal with the devil, a girl driven to revenge, and a cute boy. What's not to like, right? Sadly, this novel didn't quite work for me because it felt, at least for me, like it didn't quite know what it wanted to be

The beginning of the novel is the bright spot in an otherwise murky story. Edie's desperation, her utter brokenness comes through effortlessly. Her desire for revenge is like a slash of red across the pages. You feel it. The novel worked much better when grounded in reality with subtle hints of magic. The lead up to Edie's 'pay back' and how it unravels was engaging. It's when the novel goes into the more 'paranormal' elements that it begins to unravel.

It felt almost like reading two different books. One that had heart, and something to say. The other was confusing and messy. It felt disjointed. Not even just how the two meshed together, but the paranormal aspect itself. It was a meshing together of various things out detailing the how or why. These explanations may come in further novels, but I feel after the first book I should have some sense of how the world these characters inhabit works.

The idea of inner versus outer beauty is a huge overarching theme in the novel, and one that is actually done with finesse. The ease in which Edie descends, coupled with her increasing enjoyment of the pain her revenges causes is tempered by flashes of guilt. As the stakes increase we see that perhaps not all her tormentors are as evil as she imagined, and perhaps things are not as black and white as she first thought. This presented a thought provoking, and timely discussion on bullying. Edie's torment is brutal, especially when you find out what pushed her over the edge, but it's contrasted by showing us that her tormentors are still just children too. As hurtful and thoughtless as they may be, Edie's actions are just as harsh. Neither is shown as being right or wrong, instead the overall message is one of sadness and pain for everyone.

The romance is your classic case of insta-love. She is immediately drawn to him because of his pretty face, and not much else. Kian is mysterious and as a result we don't get to learn much about him. There is also the shadowed possibility that Kian is not being truthful with her. While I could see an attraction, especially given her experiences, I didn't by that it was love. Edie's mentioning of how she shouldn't trust him, coupled with some other troubling behaviour, made me uneasy. The novel tried to point out these tropes that exist in young adult novels, and while doing so, fell victim to them as well.

Despite a few bright moments, Mortal Danger, ultimately fell flat for me. I am sure others may enjoy it more than me, and I do urge you to read a positive review to determine if this might be a book for you. For me, the moments I liked were not strong enough to overcome the moments I did not. I think I would have enjoyed it more if more focus had been placed on Edie's journey, and  her revenge, rather than the convoluted paranormal aspect that didn't quite mesh together.

Weekly Obsessions

The awesome Kelly at KellyVision started posting a weekly post highlighting whatever she happened to be obsessed with that week. I LOVE this idea, so much in fact that I will be doing it myself every Saturday.

Here are my obsessions this week. Short and sweet this week!

BOOKS

Cover of Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre (goodreads)

REALLY different than what I anticipated. Based on the Goodreads synopsis I want this, immediately. It sounds awesome, and I do love this cover. It's simple, eye catching, and different than most of the covers out there.

High School Horror Story series by Chandler Baker 

I am a sucker for anything that puts a twist on a classic tale. This deal that was recently announced via Entertainment Weekly immediately piqued my interest

Entertainment Weekly has the following blurb

The first book in the series, written by YA author Chandler Baker, will be called Teen Frankenstein and will hit shelves in Fall 2015. The High School Horror Story series will re-imagine classic literary monsters in a Paris, Texas high school. The first book will draw inspiration from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, told through the lens of a teenage girl who falls in love with the popular classmate she both accidentally kills and then brings back to life.

I pretty much want this immediately. It sounds like something I might end up LOVING if done right. I am also interested to see what other 'classic literary monsters' will feature.

OTHER

BEA

It is officially March, which means BEA is getting close! We're beginning to have a few signings details released and March generally is when things start to happen. I want it to be May! I am most looking forward to (outside of BEA) going to see Heathers, having Shake Shack, and exhausted nights chatting with my bookish people!

Need For Speed movie

I got to see an advance screening of this on Thursday. IT IS SO MUCH FUN! It's got some awesome car stunts. Aaron Paul is almost Steve McQueen-esque as a leading man. Side note - He wears a leather jacket incredibly well *swoon*. The 'love interest' in the story was sweet and not strictly used as eye candy. There was a lot I enjoyed about it. Most of all it's funny. Way funnier than I was expecting.

So what are you obsessed with this week?

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Release Date – April 12, 2011
Publisher – Feiwel & Friends
Pages - 259
My Rating- 9/10
Obtained - library

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.

As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.

Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first she thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.

As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known

There has been a lot of dystopian out there recently. I have read a whole bunch of it. This is one of the few that has honestly scared me. The world that Ann Aguirre has created is described so well, developed so well that you can picture it. It’s not just the Freaks that you need to worry about in this world, and that is the scariest thing of all. You think of how the survivors would evolve and it wouldn’t be far fetched for some of them to become like what is depicted in this novel.

Deuce is an amazing heroine. She’s tough, smart, and self reliant. She knows how to take care of herself, and knows what she wants. It’s not as common to find a character like this in YA and I am so glad Deuce exists. She does follow orders given to her by the people in charge of her enclave, but she is able to THINK for herself.

Fade is amazing. He’s tough, smart, thoughtful and a great match for Deuce. I liked that the “relationship” stuff was understated and not the focus of the novel. It felt like it was just this slowly developing thing. Neither Deuce nor Fade really knows what is going on, and they are just kind of “living in the moment” which to me seemed very real and natural under the circumstance.

The writing style is very gripping. You want to keep turning the pages to find out what is going to happen next. It’s a shorter book so I was able to polish it off rather quickly. The terms used for the different placements in society - breeders, hunters, and builders - could have been distracting, however, they really went with the tone of the novel.

The ending of the book was satisfying as a stand alone, but I also felt the need to revisit the characters that survive and see how they have fared since we left them last. I became invested in these characters and want to know more.

If you are a fan of dystopian novels this one will make you remember why, and if you’re picking one up for the first time it will make you wonder why you waited so long.

In My Mailbox

This is a weekly meme hosted by the awesome Kristi at The Story Siren. It gives us a chance to showcase the books we got during the week.

I only got one book this week.



Enclave by Ann Aguirre (goodreads)

I picked this up from the library right after reading the fantastic review by Evie over at Bookish. I have already read this and it is AWESOME.

What books did you get this week? Leave me a comment and I will check it out.

Happy reading everyone!