Nocturnal Book Reviews

Egalley thanks to Simon & Schuster

OK, let me point this first, that like everyone else I am guilty of judging a book by its cover. Look at it! It's gorgeous (I mean the American cover, I'm not keen on the UK one). Of course, I couldn't resist reading it.

The writing is absolutely beautiful as well. It flows smoothly and draws a very clear picture of what's happening. The winter as my LJ friend noticed is described particularly well. It's all very haunting and filled with despair and confusion and tons of teenage angst. Well, therein lies my problem.

Plot bunnies, I loathe you. Let's see.

A girl commits suicide, and then the Furies come to town. Among all people they target Chase who played a cruel joke on a girl who humiliated him and refused his friendship first. They also target sweet and confused Em, whose only fault is falling a victim to a careful seduction by her best friend's boyfriend, who just you know does. such. things. regularly. for fun.

Really, no really? We have two confused but inherently good people having their hearts ripped apart, being sadistically hunted and tortured for succumbing to peer pressure or to a lying worthless scumbag?

Yes, I was furious. Zach (the scumbag) reminded me to a fault one of my exes, and it all went downhill from there.

Chase and Em were described beautifully. You can't help but feel for them while their world is falling apart.

Apart from Chase, Zach, Em and JD (Em's best boy-friend, who was absolutely wonderful) everyone is pretty much barely sketched, even the Furies. There is no explanation for them all, only a vague mention of three girls always playing havoc in Ascension, a convenient mention by a random friend of a dead girl, who with no apparent reason studies them. Here is your plot bunny #1.

Second bunny is the end. It didn't make sense to me. The time frame for the arrival of JD felt too improbable, I can't go into details and don't want to give more spoilers that I've already given. In fact the whole book didn't make much sense to me. However, the writing was stunning and I enjoyed it very much and would read another book by Elizabeth Miles, although maybe not Fury #2.