Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Velveteen by Daniel Marks [Review + Giveaway]

Genre:
Young Adult, Fantasy, Fantasy, Horror, Romance
Publication.Date  October 9th 2012 (Hardcover edition)
Pages:464
Published By:  Delacorte Books For Young Readers
WebsiteDanier Marks 

Velveteen
My review copy:Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Where to get:


Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.

The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.

Bonesaw.

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days. 

It’ll be brutal... and awesome.

But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.

Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules... or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.
(Goodreads)

“Could he actually be a decent guy?
Hard to imagine.

He was pretty to look at, though, she thought. Boys weren't objectified nearly enough, and turnabout is always fair play.” 
She never saw the point of making fun of strangers – how could you possibly know enough about them to hit below the belt?
I could take care of you," he said, his breath hot against her neck. "We could care about each other.
She walks a tightrope between psycho and smokin'.



     Extremely creative and entirely compelling, Velveteen offers a devourable blend of fantasy noir and horror with a splash of dark humor and pinch of romance

     Velveteen Mondroe is sixteen and dead, her life cut short by a serial murderer named Bonesaw. Not being able to get over her brutal death and move on, she is now trapped in Purgatory (or the City of the Dead if you may). She occasionally sneaks out of there to haunt her killer, hoping to somehow prevent him from torturing and murdering other teenage girls, or at least scare the crap living soul out of him with her poltergeist, Hulk-smash actions. With every day that passes she is getting stronger and closer to getting her revenge. Unfortunately, while fun and satisfying, haunting is also strictly forbidden. By crossing over to the world of the living, Velveteen is disrupting the balance, causing massive tremors that are threatening to destroy the whole world. With her own soul at stake, revenge may come at a very high price. The question is: what is more important? Vengeance or salvation?

     Velveteen was simply awesome. Dark, creepy and with a deliciously grim atmosphere, it was exactly my kind of read. I loved the grey, shadowy world of Purgatory. It was utterly fascinating and depicted with care for (often very unsettling) details. The beginning of the book - while very disturbing at times (particularly when it comes to Bonesaw and his little cirque du freak farm) - did not prepare me for just how thoroughly bone-chilling this book would get in the second half. Everyone with the taste for macabre will definitely enjoy it. Marks really hit the mark, skilfully balancing the scary, gruesome, funny and sexy. 

     Velveteen's narrative voice was realistic and compelling. She knew what she wanted, she knew how to get it, and there was nothing that could stop her (or even slow her down). She was one tough and sharp chick, totally rocking the afterlife. At times she was quite bitchy, but not in an off-putting way. I actually really enjoyed her snarky comments and biting remarks. She was such an entertaining character! And I loved how determined she was to punish Bonesaw. I really wanted her to kick his sick ars. She had quite a temper and incredible fierceness to her that really made it easy for me to connect with her. 

     Marks' Purgatory is definitely very different from what I expected. Similar in a way to the Purgatory from Supernatural (the TV Show), only more awesome and "liveable". The souls don't just sit around, waiting idly for the day when the gates of Heaven or Hell will open for them, allowing them to finally move on. No, they actually created some sort of a functioning society, which I thought was really cool. There are different districts were people live, and everyone is assigned a role. Velveteen's job in the City of the Dead is being part of the Salvage team. She is responsible for rescuing souls trapped in the world of the living. And - oh! - did I mention that her co-worker is drop-dead gorgeous and 

      I loved the writing style, too. I am a huge fan of Dan Marks and his incredibly hilarious vlogs, and I read the entire book with his voice in my head. His charismatic personality and signature wittiness really shine through in Velveteen. I can't emphasize enough how much I enjoy the creepy premise and dark humor in this book. It made for a highly entertaining, thoroughly enjoyable read. I want more!



WHAT YOU CAN WIN: 3 x Velveteen by Daniel Marks
OPEN TO: Canada & US & International
Ends: May 25th

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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