Published August 31ts 2010Young Adult
paperback 543 pages
From Goodreads:
Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.
Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.
As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.
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Review: 5x5 *with glitter, confetti, and some cheesecake thrown in!!
Ok I normally try not to but I may go a little fangirl here. Not since I have picked up Twilight to read *and NO I am NOT comparing the two!!* have I felt this way for a book! I literally wanted to crawl inside this book and live in the amazing story. This has also officially become my new Favorite book :)
The Goth and the Cheerleader....hmmm she made it work and made it believable. There is no ohhh dreamy love at first sight stuff here, which is refreshing. Isobel and Varen are well thought out and realized characters. You are actually going to care deeply what is going on with them, I know I do. The secondary characters are also very interesting and believable, liking some of them and hating them in the next minute. Some of the scenes with Isobel's friends are ones that I have seen similar things happen in real life and that was great!
Poe....Oh who doesn't like a little Poe? I love how she used him and wove him and his life/death into the story... you have to read it to understand it as I am not telling you :) The scenes that play out are vivid and as Isobel says at one point... The words disappear and you feel like you are seeing it instead of reading it. GET IT , READ IT , FALL INTO IT..... no really now drop what your doing and GO!
Oh, now I want to read this! Goth & Cheerleader? Intriguing! Must go on my wishlist!
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
Great review!! This is indeed one of my favorite books. It's impossible not to love it. I can't wait for the next one! =)
ReplyDelete-Shanon @ Escaping With Fiction
I love a fangirl review! :) Books *should* sweep us off our feet; that's the whole point of reading fiction, right?
ReplyDeleteI confess, my initial reaction is "Ick! Cheerleader!" and I'm a little cautious about the whole "drawn away from her possessive boyfriend" thing...but given your enthusiastic response, I might have to take a risk and check it out. Thanks for the review! I'd have definitely skipped over this one otherwise.
Oh you are so right about being swept off our feet! That is totally my whole point in reading :)
ReplyDeleteYeah..cheerleaders for me in real life umm BOOO *note I did use to be one* but in general their attitudes are ICK and I was not a "normal" one. LOL This story really has those elements but it's not the focus and you really do want to see all of it happen. :) Thanks for stopping by
Great review, Heather! I'm so glad you liked this book! Varen is totally mine though! LOL! It's going to be a long wait for August! More people need to read this book!!!
ReplyDeleteI seriously love this book and am dying for Enshadowed. I feel like we've had to wait forever!
ReplyDeleteLove your fangirl review. This book is definitely a book that should have tons of fangirls :)
Was not a huge Poe person, but after this book, I sorta was.
Great review!
I really need to pick this up. I keep forgetting to look for it, which is a shame! I love Edgar Allan Poe's work, so any book that weaves it into the storyline is a book I need to check out. Thanks for a detailed, informative review.
ReplyDeleteI don't do poetry well but I'll give this a shot going by your review. I like your enthusiasm. I'm sold ...plus I love cheesecake! :) --New follower.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting read given your enthusiasm. The fact that you stated you were trying NOT to go fangirl lended credibility to your review. I have only just recently gotten into YA and only by accidnet. I read a description of a book, liked it, and read it. I really enjoyed it and found out afterward it was YA. I have been looking for more YA not only for myself, but to try and get my 14 year-old son interested in. I will be looking into this book further thanks to your review.
ReplyDeleteAlso, where did you find the scrolling box on the side of your blog? I have been looking for one forever to put on my blog and have been unsuccessful! I do not like having a ton of links lining up the entire side of the blog and was wanting to condense to a scrolling bar. HELP!
kendraedens@gmail.com
I love it when I read a book and become completely excited by it, and it sounds like this book gave you that. I am a character driven reader, so I like that you point out how the characters well developed. And I appreciate an author who takes the time to not only make them interesting and to give them depth, but who allows them their flaws.
ReplyDeleteLouise @ Between the Covers
You know, I've reviewed some books by my fave auths...books I just KNOW I'm going to love. But the credibility is still there in the review. There's a difference between gushing all over something Like New Kids on the Block (showing my age) with the "they're just so great" as your reasons, and actually showing why something rocks.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I've done in mine. Given the reasons that I love the book(s). So, feel free to fangirl. You did well.
I'm intrigued by the goth-cheerleader concept. I don't think the two are so different...or don't have to be. I am a former cheerleader myself and, while not at that time, I have a true, deep-seeded love of goth. It's refreshing. Goes against the grain. I like that in people, and I like it in my books.