#amreading

Summary:

When Camille was six years old, she was discovered alone in the snow by Enrico Vultusino, godfather of the Seven—the powerful Families that rule magic-ridden New Haven. Papa Vultusino adopted the mute, scarred child, naming her after his dead wife and raising her in luxury on Haven Hill alongside his own son, Nico.

Now Cami is turning sixteen. She’s no longer mute, though she keeps her faded scars hidden under her school uniform, and though she opens up only to her two best friends, Ruby and Ellie, and to Nico, who has become more than a brother to her. But even though Cami is a pampered Vultusino heiress, she knows that she is not really Family. Unlike them, she is a mortal with a past that lies buried in trauma. And it’s not until she meets the mysterious Tor, who reveals scars of his own, that Cami begins to uncover the secrets of her birth…to find out where she comes from and why her past is threatening her now.

Thoughts:

*spoiler alert*

How to say this.

I liked it, and loved some parts of it. The mythology is awesome (the snow white twist), the world-building complicated and layered...which was the problem for me. It was too layered and the author sort of just dumped information on us and hoped we understood. Sure you can relate some events in this world to our world for ex; the REEVE or the magical revolution as the, I'm guessing, Industrial Revolution.

I'm still half-convinced there was a prequel or something. No?

Anyway, the world called New Haven, is controlled by the Seven Families, like I said, they're kind of like the vampire mafia. And there are Jacks (which I'm not really sure what, maybe shapeshifters) and the Twists (people that has their Potential twisted by hate or rage) and then there are the fae.

Cami, or Camille, our heroine was a foundling, an orphan found in the snow by the head of the Vultusino family. She is adopted into the family and grew up along with his son, his heir, Nico.

Keep in mind that this is a version of Snow White so you already know the gist but I'm not saying that there are new elements in this story: for instance, the vampires, like Papa Vultusino and Nico, ghouls, mere-humans, magic users like Cami and Cami's friends Ruby (Red Riding Hood) and Ellie (Cinderella). There will be an evil queen, there will be the huntsman etc.

The pace of the story is okay, I guess, the pacing is pretty fast, you get to know everybody also pretty fast and you get the story, also pretty fast. It's twisted and dark and kind of harrowing at times as your imagination finally grab a hold of the world.

It kind of reminded me of Labyrinth in a way, you know, that movie with David Bowie as the Goblin King?

I was disappointed that we didn't get more Nico though, I was interested on how he went from heir to Head of the Family. Why he was often gone.

And I'm intrigued by how Lili St Crow created the difference between Nico and Tor, how they switched placed in the middle but then we totally see who was on Cami's side and not so much.

Well, will I read this book again? yes, yes I would. Is it flawless? Nope.

But still, an interesting (though not so original, at least on the White Queen part) read. Give it 3/5 stars.

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Summary: 

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred ofthem—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for…again.

Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.