Melissa Marr

Well goddamn. I picked this because it was the only Marsters narration that wasn't on waitlist, and expected a light whatever-kind-of-fantasy story that I could half-listen to while working. But this light story is actually a deep and uncomfortable examination of consent and gender and prejudice. Whew. No disrespect, it was well done, just not what I was prepared for, and then I had to keep going to make sure it was intentional and well-resolved. I'm undecided.

Well now, this book surprised me! When it was first offered to me for review, I was understandably thrilled. Melissa Marr has never left me disappointed. I'll grant you the fact that I was also a little nervous, simply because Made For You is a break from what Marr normally writes. I was promised something contemporary. A dark, sinister thriller that would keep me reading well into the night. I'm happy to report that all of that was quite true.

Eva Tilling stole my heart. There are no words show more for how refreshing it was to have a popular female character who isn't a total witch. See, Eva grew up in the Southern elite. A group of people who, based on their money and status, essentially run the entire town. You'd expect her to be a spoiled, petty girl, no? No. In fact, Eva is one of those characters who is instantly likable. Honest, funny, sweet, and just that hint of rebellious that I love. The fact that she felt the pressure to be more, and still held onto her own personality, sold me on her character. I couldn't have been happier.

Actually, I think the whole idea of this story taking place in Eva's hometown created some great atmosphere. Southern Gothic stories about the decay of the aristocracy have always been my favorite. Watching those who have everything slowly fall apart intrigues me. In this case, I wouldn't say Made For You is exactly a Southern Gothic story, but it does have some of those elements. The fact that this town of people is more than willing to cover up certain occurrences, in order to save face with the public, only heightens the feeling that there are secrets brewing beneath the surface.

I could go on about the deliciously palatable tension that flows through this book. I could rave about the fact that, for the first time in a long time, I didn't have to suffer through a love triangle. Or that the killer's POV was done quite well. There's a lot I could say, but I'd rather let you discover it for yourself. Any small qualms I had about this book were far overshadowed by what what I loved. I found myself hanging on every word, right up until the ending. If you haven't yet added this to your reading list, I'd suggest you do! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with this YA thriller. show less

I severely wanted to read this book when it came out. I stared at this book every time I went into the book store but I never walked out with it. For years, I had hoped I would come across this book on my shopping journeys (because the hunt is half the thrill) but I never did. Finally, this year - time had come. I found the book! I grabbed it, bought it, and decided I would pick it up FINALLY. And, I wasn't disappointed!

This was one of those YA books that I snuggled up with a blanket, a cup show more of tea, and my cats. I binged the book rather quickly and enjoyed it thoroughly. Add in that this book DOES NOT leave off in a cliffhanger... Yes, Melissa Marr is on my good side. Wicked Lovely was FABULOUS. I am so happy I picked it up and I am screaming from the rooftops for people to give Melissa Marr some love. Fairies, prophecies, love squares AND NO CLIFFHANGERS AT THE END. It's my kind of book.

This book is a little darker than the YA I used to read back in the early 2010s, but it wasn't really all that dark. There are some rougher topics, but it's easily a PG-13 rated book. You know there's drugs and bad people around, but it doesn't linger on those facts for too long. It stays in the realm of mostly lighthearted deviance (since fairies are, ya know, pretty wild).

Aislinn is a fairly relatable character. She has a bit of a rough start in life, but she just wants to be a teenager and hang out with Seth (who may or may not be a good match for her, depending on your viewpoints of him). Seth does seem like quite the nice dude and a good friend to Aislinn. Keenan, fairy king bro, is not all that charming in my opinion, but maybe the YA book crowd will like him. I'm not sold, but hey - that's just my opinion. I did LOVE Donia. She was my favourite character and I will stand proud and say that.

Will I continue reading this series? Maybe. If I'm able to stumble across the books in my journey, sure! But, I'm also severely happy with the ending. I almost don't want to ruin it. Although, I now really want to support Melissa Marr because I loved her writing. Binging a good book and not wanting to stop doesn't always happen with me, and Melissa Marr cracked the code.

Overall, I liked this book! It's a twisted story of fairies who are manipulative and scary, but it also has quite the love story. It's a great read.

Four out of five stars. show less

YOU GUYS, THIS BOOK. THIS. This is more of the viciousness that I craved within the "Wicked Lovely" series but didn't quite get, and I get all of it in this first volume of what has to be at least a duology (please god, please) of books. Books like this are what keep me hopeful for YA and New Adult's future - it's beautiful, it's horrible, it's delicious, it's sumptuous, and utterly glorious. Marr feels like a whole new writer in "Carnival of Souls", and I seriously can't wait to get my paws show more on the second book, whenever it might come out. Like "Fight Club" but wish it had more magical reality added to it? "Carnival of Souls" is your book.

Though her "Wicked Lovely" series, I think it's safe to say that Marr has conquered the challenge for great YA fantasy lit - that is, worldbuilding. She very slowly but surely got better at it and built it up in that series of six books, but with "Carnival of Souls", she hits us all at once with two parallel worlds/universes: that of The City and Earth. Daimons (Demons or shapeshifting fey, I'm guessing?), Witches, and Humans all fight for supremacy over these two worlds, and the results are awesome. ALL of the characters (be them human, daimon, or witch) weave very cleanly back into the world of The City, and through her masterful use of sensory language and imagery, really gets across the beautiful horror that is this parallel world.

The characters: What I think I love about this is that we don't have a romance forced on us between two (or more), characters. We have a wonderful set of MCs, though I felt that out of all of them, Kaleb was the most developed, with Mallory in second and then Aya in third. It felt a little uneven there, but because of how the relationship web was put together (I've talked about this before in reviews - it's also a type of worldbuilding where it's all about where you place character A, how they relate to character B, and how both of them relate to C, and so forth) and with the desperate hope/knowledge that there had to be a book two coming, I was satisfied with what I got. The relationship web was awesomely done, but I do want to see it stretch out further in book two on the witch side of things. The daimon side was the most developed, but I wanted more on the witches. Nevertheless, all of the characters that got POV time (even the most minor ones) were extremely well-rounded and felt like real people. It was like I was sitting next to them or watching them at the fights - it was that exciting. Marr has been known for her character creation for characters you want to root for (or despise), and she has created a wonderful set of misfits for everyone to enjoy in this book.

Now, a question - how does one classify this book (aside from awesome)? Is it older YA? Or is it New Adult (the new genre where it's just a little over the YA threshold for content but not quite an adult-genre book, either)? I would say that Marr very slyly straddles the boundaries for both genres with her careful use of certain words and of certain types of content within the book. NA could use some new blood, and this one definitely fills that slot. I question this because the relationship web left me wondering - is Zevi in love with Kaleb (not just having "pack"/familial feelings for him)? If Kaleb considers Mallory "pack" through his romantic love toward her, how would one categorize the end product? Would it count as incest? Not that it's actually proclaimed as such - it's left all very fuzzy and up to the reader, a wonderful way to craft this story. By leaving a lot of this content ambiguous, Marr's able to claim purchase in both spots. And I love her for being able to do that.

All of that being said, this book is definitely not for young YA readers. This is a dark book, but it glows luminously all throughout. I really enjoyed it, and applaud Marr for bringing a lot more darkness to YA/NA when it's needed the most, when it's trying to figure out what it is as a genre.

Final verdict? If you're a Marr fan, you simply must check out this newest book. If you're not a Marr fan, check it out anyway! "Carnival of Souls" will be out September 4, 2012 from HarperTeen in North America. It's made my best of 2012 list and it's definitely a MUST READ for anyone. Seriously, it's that awesome.

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, librarything, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com) show less