by Tessa Gratton
May 2011
Random House Books for Young Readers
I pushed the knife against my skin, puckering it but not breaking through. My whole body shivered. I was about to find out if magic was real. The electric thrill of terror was sharp on my tongue. I cut deep.
"All the blood with none of the vampires" is how this book is being marketed to fans of Stephenie Meyer and Carrie Jones' dark paranormal teen romances. (And for a good reason! Vampires will weep and tear at their parched throats when they see the amount of blood that is causally spilled and let go to waste here.) After finding her parents brutally murdered in their own home, Silla has a hard time fitting in at school and pretending not to see blood everywhere she looks. When a mysterious spell book arrives in her father's own handwriting Silla must try even harder to act "normal" as she discovers that her blood has the potential to create magic. With the help of her older brother Reese and Nick, the handsome new boy in town, Silla is willing to drain every last drop of her blood in order to find her parents' killers.
This was definitely a bloodier novel than most, though not unmanageable for young adults. It did concern me, however, that the characters had no problem cutting themselves in order to perform their magic spells. They almost didn't seem to understand the price that they were paying to simply watch leaves dance around the yard. Instead, they took pleasure from the act and enjoyed the way the magic made them feel.
I also didn't appreciate all the kissing. Now I do love me some kissing (both in actuality and in my fiction) but the making out was seriously getting out of hand. And not even in a too hot and heavy kind of way. It's simply inappropriate for the scenes in which it occurs. The characters found every possible excuse to shove their tongues down each others throats, even in situations where I couldn't possibly imagine ever feeling like kissing someone! To demonstrate what I mean, here is some actual dialogue from the screenplay I've decided to write for this book.
Silla: Nick! Everyone I love is dead!
Nick: Nooooooo! We should kiss! (smush smush smush)
Ten Minutes Later
Silla: Oh my darling Nick! I missed you so much while I was around the corner talking to that other character about our plans to murder someone. (flings herself into his arms)
Nick: Dearest Silla, never shall we part again. (loud kissing noises)
One Minute Later
Silla: I just figured out who the evil witch in our town --- (Nick grabs her and starts kissing her)
Silla: mmph Nick mphh what are kiss kiss you mphh doing?
Nick: I just love you that much baby. Now what were you saying about the evil witch that we've been running from this whole novel who is probably killing everyone we know and love as we stand here wrapped in each other's arms?
Fifteen Minutes Later
Nick: Are you going to eat that sandwich?
Silla: No, but I am going to KISS you! (Silla flies across the table and lands gracefully in Nick's lap. She proceeds to eat his face. Nick finishes sandwich during breaks for air.)
Are you starting to get the picture? I have a man in my life that I absolutely adore. But I'm almost positive that sucking on his face would be the last thing on my mind if I was running from a psychopathic witch while digesting the news that my father was a sorcerer and everyone I loved was dying while I knelt in an ever growing puddle of their blood. But I suppose we all have our own ways of coping . . .
The good news is that even though this is part of a series, the book is a standalone! So feel free to indulge without fear of attachment or the anxiety that today's authors constantly produce with their so-called bestselling series.
Check out this list for other books that run on the side of paranormal.
The Blood Journals
Blood Magic
Blood Keeper (TBR August 2012)
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