Title: Lies we Tell Ourselves
Author: Robin Talley
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Historical Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: September 30th 2014
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

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In 1959 Virginia, the lives of two girls on opposite sides of the battle for civil rights will be changed forever.

Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honors student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily.

Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town's most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept "separate but equal."

Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.

Boldly realistic and emotionally compelling, Lies We Tell Ourselves is a brave and stunning novel about finding truth amid the lies, and finding your voice even when others are determined to silence it.


When I heard about this book last year, I knew I wanted to read it because I love books that are based on real events, and take place in a setting that is historically significant. So when I got the ARC of this book I knew I would look forward to reading it, and I was right. This book was one that demands to be read, because it will make you realize how much our ancestors went through for us to live in the place we do today.

Sarah and Linda are our two narrators and I think that part of the book was my favorite. Those two POVs were what made this book so compelling because we got to see two sides of the same issue. Sarah, and African American who is one of the chosen to integrate into an all white high school. Linda is the the daughter of one of the most outspoken officials against segregation, and yet they are put together on a project and everything changes. I loved reading how these two girls dealt with the issues at hand. Obviously Sarah;s were more severe and honestly I was shocked at how she was treated. I mean I read about this in high school but for some reason reading a personalized story seemed that much more real and hurtful. The author did an amazing job showcasing how these girls were treated on both sides, and how much it affected them as people and those around them.

The only real issue I had with this book was how many subjects the author decided to deal with in the 400 pages. Not only did she tackle the race issue, but she also decided to weave in the lesbian issue as well. Although I have absolutely nothing against these issues, I just though it was too much for one book. I found that at times one issue took more importance than the other, and vise verso throughout the book, and it was confusing to me as to which was worse or better for the characters. In my opinion I think it would have been better if the race issue was the focal point and the rest was left alone. I would have rather the girls become best friends instead of lovers, because for me the two issues together seemed a bit unlikely? It was just too much for me.

Overall this book was a great read, fast paced and full of amazing characters. I had just had a few issues with the overall plot line I just wish that the author would have stuck to one topic and not tried to put both together, because I think they distracted from each other in the end.

Title: Illusions of Fate
Author: Kiersten White
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Historical, Magic
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
Release Date: September 9th 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: ARC received by publisher in exchange for an honest review

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“I did my best to keep you from crossing paths with this world. And I shall do my best to protect you now that you have.”

Jessamin has been an outcast since she moved from her island home of Melei to the dreary country of Albion. Everything changes when she meets Finn, a gorgeous, enigmatic young lord who introduces her to the secret world of Albion’s nobility, a world that has everything Jessamin doesn’t—power, money, status…and magic. But Finn has secrets of his own, dangerous secrets that the vicious Lord Downpike will do anything to possess. Unless Jessamin, armed only with her wits and her determination, can stop him.

Kiersten White captured readers’ hearts with her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy and its effortless mix of magic and real-world teenage humor. She returns to that winning combination of wit, charm, and enchantment in Illusions of Fate, a sparkling and romantic new novel perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, The Madman’s Daughter, and Libba Bray.


I will always read books written by Kiersten White because I am always a fan of her characters, especially her female characters. I always find that they are strong and usually sarcastic which is a win win scenario for me. And so when I picked up Illusions of Fate and started reading I was not disappointed in Jessamine, our main character. She was fierce, strong and independent which was something I loved reading because we are used to seeing female character who are in need of saving, so this change of pace of great to see. I also loved her personality because she was so snarky and witty, something I love reading and so if I have to name the one thing I loved the most from this book it would be Jessamine. She was a great female heroine.

The writing style for me was a bit of distraction and i think it is because I am not used to reading such formal writing in the YA genre. It fit perfectly with the setting and the storyline, but for me it was just distracting. It took me out of the story on more than one occasion which was not optimal for me to enjoy the book as much as I wanted to. I give so much credit to Kiersten for writing in that style because I can only imagine how hard it would be to stay so formal throughout a 200 and something page book. I honestly think I was just taken aback by that style because it was not something I had expected going in.

The secondary characters were great, especially the villain. I am a sucker for a great bad guy and Illusions of a Fate had a great one in the beginning. He was mysterious, extremely creepy and had no mercy for anyone when it came to punishment. I loved all of that because it made the story that much more interesting. But i was sad near the end because I felt like that villain turned a bit soft and he wasn't that menacing as the story went on. Finn, Jessamine's love interest was just Meh for me because I wasn't really that interested in him and honestly I was just not attracted to him in the story. I think that hindered my liking of book as well because Finn was a very large part of the book and because I wasn't that interested in him, I felt disconnected with the overall story.

In the end I did really enjoy certain aspect of this story, Jessamine was a great character to get behind and the setting was absolutely amazing and sucked you in right from the beginning. But lack of interest in certain character and the writing style took me out of the story and hindered my reading experience more than I wanted.

Title: Salt and Storm
Author: Kendall Kulper
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Historical Paranormal
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: September 1st 2014
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Source: ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

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A sweeping historical romance about a witch who foresees her own murder--and the one boy who can help change her future.
Sixteen-year-old Avery Roe wants only to take her rightful place as the witch of Prince Island, making the charms that keep the island's whalers safe at sea, but her mother has forced her into a magic-free world of proper manners and respectability. When Avery dreams she's to be murdered, she knows time is running out to unlock her magic and save herself.
Avery finds an unexpected ally in a tattooed harpoon boy named Tane--a sailor with magic of his own, who moves Avery in ways she never expected. Becoming a witch might stop her murder and save her island from ruin, but Avery discovers her magic requires a sacrifice she never prepared for.


I love historical fiction, especially when it is meshed with the paranormal. So when I saw that this book was not only set in the past but also had to do with witches I knew I needed to read it and this book did not disappoint. It had everything you could ever want, a great mystery, suspense, a great stetting full of intrigue and some great magic.

The writing in this book was above anything I ever expected. It was phenomenal, it sucked you in right from the beginning and it made you feel like you were there, in that time period with these characters. The author made everything about this book genuine and real. I loved the setting and the fact that although I knew nothing about that time period, I still felt very connected not only with the main characters but also all the characters that interacted with them. it was great to read.

The only aspect of the book that i didn't particularly like was the love story. I wasn't totally convinced of it throughout the book and I questioned some of the characters decisions when it came to their feelings. But as the story when on it grew on me a bit, but not enough for me to care about their relationship and where it went in the end.

The end. I loved the end the most out of the entire book. I say this because i thought it was extremely realistic not only to the characters but to the story itself. It was extremely sad and I felt for all the characters involved but I loved that we got a lot of answers and we saw a lot of character growth from not only our main character but all the secondary characters as well.

Overall Salt and Storm was one of the most unique historical paranormal books I have read i years and I will say that for those who are on the fence about picking it...do it, because you do not find books like this very often. Ones that create an amazing world around you while you read and pull you in and refuse to let you go. This book was an amazing read and I recommend to anyone and everyone.

Title: Dark Metropolis
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Series: Dark Metropolis #1
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Release Date: June 17th 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: eARC received from publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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Cabaret meets Cassandra Clare-a haunting magical thriller set in a riveting 1930s-esque world.

Sixteen-year-old Thea Holder's mother is cursed with a spell that's driving her mad, and whenever they touch, Thea is chilled by the magic, too. With no one else to contribute, Thea must make a living for both of them in a sinister city, where danger lurks and greed rules.
Thea spends her nights waitressing at the decadent Telephone Club attending to the glitzy clientele. But when her best friend, Nan, vanishes, Thea is compelled to find her. She meets Freddy, a young, magnetic patron at the club, and he agrees to help her uncover the city's secrets-even while he hides secrets of his own.

Together, they find a whole new side of the city. Unrest is brewing behind closed doors as whispers of a gruesome magic spread. And if they're not careful, the heartless masterminds behind the growing disappearances will be after them, too.

Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, this is a chilling thriller with a touch of magic where the dead don't always seem to stay that way.


I went into this book with no real idea of what to expect. I was drawn in by the cover and the setting because it seemed so different than most of the other books I have read this year. I will say that I really enjoyed the first half of the book. It was fast paced and I really enjoyed the setting. It was extremely detailed in the beginning  and at times I felt real. I also really enjoyed the characters in the beginning, they were easy to relate to and great to read. But as the book wore on, I felt like everything kind of fell apart for me.

For one, the type of narration was not for me. It was an all knowing kind of narrator and I am more of a first person kind of reader. I felt very disconnected from everything I was reading. Also, because there were so many characters that were introduced over the course of the book (which in an of itself was very confusing) I found that this type of narration confused me as a reader. I couldn't connect with many of the characters, and since we got so many different POVs I felt like I was confusing some characters with others.

Honestly, I felt like the second half of the book was quite slow and i felt like it dragged in many places. I went into this book expecting one thing, and about half way through the story took a turn I was not expecting. I felt like it was too different from the tone of the beginning of the story. I honestly felt like I was reading two different stories matched together.

The end, although action packed, was not as engaging as I was hoping. so much happened in the end, a lot of action and suspense, but I think because I didn't have a great connection with any of the characters, I didn't feel the gravity of the deaths and injuries. In the end, I felt like this book was not for me and I was a little disappointed with the outcome.

Title: The Falconer
Author: Elizabeth May
Series: The Falconer #1
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 378 pages
Release Date: May 6th 2014
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Source: eARC provided by publisher via Edelwiess in exchange for an honest review

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Heiress. Debutant. Murderer. A new generation of heroines has arrived.

Edinburgh, Scotland, 1844

Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the Marquess of Douglas, was destined for a life carefully planned around Edinburgh’s social events – right up until a faery killed her mother.

Now it’s the 1844 winter season and Aileana slaughters faeries in secret, in between the endless round of parties, tea and balls. Armed with modified percussion pistols and explosives, she sheds her aristocratic facade every night to go hunting. She’s determined to track down the faery who murdered her mother, and to destroy any who prey on humans in the city’s many dark alleyways.

But the balance between high society and her private war is a delicate one, and as the fae infiltrate the ballroom and Aileana’s father returns home, she has decisions to make. How much is she willing to lose – and just how far will Aileana go for revenge?


YA books that include Fae in them can be very tricky for me. They can be very hit and miss and if they are a miss, they are a MISS. So when I read the synopsis for The Falconer, I was hesitant because I did not want to hate this book. But what happened was the exact opposite. I fell in love with this book from the first page, because we meet Aileana and from the moment she started to narrate I knew she was going to be fierce and a great heroine for this book.

The main reason I loved this book so much was Aileana, she was fierce from the very beginning. She knew was society wanted her to be and she wanted to be the exact opposite. She had so much passion for what she was doing, and that was killing Fae. Her reasoning behind killing these creatures was great. Well not great for her, but a great back-story for us readers. She had so much hatred to these creatures, and i believed it. I felt it through every page of the book and that made me love her even more. Aileana was tough yet extremely creative. She made her own weapons, which was bad ass, and she was so confident in her abilities that any man who thought she couldn't do something, she proved them wrong.

The setting for this book was brilliant. I loved the time period of Victorian times and the inclusion of "some" steampunk elements. It was great to mesh so many different genre together, and the best part was that it worked. I never felt like I was confused to not understanding the world because the author did an amazing job of including us in its description. The way she weaved together, historical fiction, steampunk, and fantasy/paranormal was brilliant and I don't think it would have worked with any other story. Because everything about this book was perfect.

The secondary character in this book were brilliant. Each had a purpose and each made a difference to the story. I think my favourite of these characters was Aileana's faery that lived in her closet. He was the comedic relief and a great character for a story that was very dark and dreary. There is a sort of love story in this book but it was not the focus, which was refreshing and it was slow building, which was also very refreshing. Lastly I need to talk about the villains. Although they were not present all the way through the book, I thought they were done quite well. I know that they will be more present in coming books, so I am very excited to get my hands on them!

Title: Allies & Assassins
Author: Justin Somper
Series: Enemies of the Prince #1
Genre: YA Histocial Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 496 pages
Release Date: May 27th 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source: ARC received by Publisher in exchange for an honest review

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Prince Anders, the ruler of Archenfield, has been murdered, leaving his younger brother, Jared, to ascend the throne. Sixteen-year-old Jared feels unprepared to rule the kingdom and its powerful and dangerous court, yet he knows he can rely on the twelve officers of the court to advise him. He also knows he can just as easily be at their mercy-especially when it appears that one of them may be responsible for his brother's death. Unable to trust anyone, Jared takes it upon himself to hunt down his brother's killer-but the killer may be hunting him, as well. Murder, betrayal, and intrigue abound in Justin Somper's thrilling YA series debut. Exploring the political machinations of the medieval court and the lives that hang in the balance, Allies & Assassins is a gripping tale of a teen torn between duty and revenge.


Historical Fiction is a genre I love but rarely read because it is never written to the level that I think it should be written. But when you add in fantasy then things get interesting, the story can change on a whim, and history no longer applies. That is what I loved about Allies and Assassins, it was set in the past but added fantasy elements which made the story that much more interesting. Just think Game of Thrones for younger adults (without the sex).

In Allies and Assassins we are introduced to MANY characters ans when I say many, I mean more than 5, and they are all apart of Archenfield, a kingdom that has just had its second assassination of one of their Princes. This assassination is the focal point of the story and that mystery of who killed the Prince is what keeps you reading. Because you think you know who did but, let me tell you that you have no idea! Every character that you meet in this book has a purpose and I loved that so much because I hate reading books where characters are just there a filler or plot devices. There is none of that here. Every character has a purpose and every character pretty much is a suspect from the first page, which made reading this book so awesome. I loved that you did not know who to trust. It was such a great mystery.

The world building in this book was great, I did feel like there were too many descriptions and that the book could have been shorter because it is over 400 pages, and for young adults that can be very long. As I was reading I felt a part of his world, I felt like I knew the castle and its surrounding areas, and the characters that inhabit each part. I loved that I got lost in the characters and their interactions because that is the best part for me. Reading characters and how they interact is what gets me to love a book, and the dialogue in this book is amazing. I also appreciated that there was no love story inserted for ANY of the characters, although some are mentioned in the past tense, there are none that we read, and i found that to be very refreshing.

Allies and Assassins is a great book for boys that love Game of Thrones or anything to do with historical fantasy. Girls will also love this story because the mystery element is quite amazing, I mean I did not figure out who the killer was at all! I had to wait until the reveal and let me tell you that it makes soo much sense once it was explained. I loved the reveal. If you love this kind of historical fantasy then pick up this book because it will not disappoint.

Title: Unspeakable
Author: Caroline Pignat
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Historical
Format: Paperback, 288 pages
Release Date: May 6th 2014
Publisher: Razorbill Canada
Source: ARC received from Publisher for Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review

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On her first voyage as a stewardess aboard the Empress of Ireland, Ellie is drawn to the solitary fire stoker who stands by the ship’s rail late at night, often writing in a journal.

Jim. Ellie finds it hard to think of his name now. After their wonderful time in Quebec City, that awful night happened. The screams, the bodies, the frigid waters … she tries hard to tell herself that he survived, but it’s hard to believe when so many didn’t. So when Wyatt Steele, journalist at The New York Times asks her for her story, Ellie refuses. But when he shows her Jim’s journal, she jumps at the chance to be able to read it herself, to find some trace of the man she had fallen in love with, or perhaps a clue to what happened to him. There’s only one catch: she will have to tell her story to Steele and he’ll “pay” her by giving her the journal, one page at a time.


Unspeakable is one of those books that stays with you even after you finish the last sentence.  This is not only the story of one girl who's life is turned upside down, but it is also the story of a boat load of people that had to witness and survive a horrible tragedy. And I think that duality of perspective was what made me fall in love with this story.

The way this story pans out is very much like the titanic and the way the movie portrays the story of Jack and Rose. A reporter wants to report on the tragedy and therefore Ellie tells him her story of what happened. Except in this version Ellie, at first, does not want to tell her side of the story, but she is baited by excerpts from her lost loves diary, and so she begins to spill the beans.

What I think I enjoyed the most about this story was the mystery of what happened to Jim, and if Ellie would ever find out his story, and what he was hiding from her. And I loved that mystery so much that it kept me reading until the very end. I will say that I was a little disappointed with the reveal at the end, but I was expecting A LOT.

The only issue I had was that the love story seemed to be very sudden and uncalled for. I really wish that we could have seen more of Ellie and Jim and how they got to know each other and how they fell in love. Because when I read their story I never really got a chance to see why they liked each other so much. I wanted to fall in love along with them them, not show up half way through.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, its subject matter was extremely interesting as was its mystery. The love story could have been stronger in my opinion but it did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. The writing was phenomenal and I cannot wait to read more from Caroline Pignat in the future!

Title: Prisoner of Night and Fog
Author: Anne Blankman
Series: Prisoner of Night and Fog #1
Genre: YA Historical, Mystery
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: April 22nd 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: eARC received at part of a Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review

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I love history, and especially for some reason, history of WWII, so when I read the synopsis of Prisoner of Night and Fog I knew I wanted to read it, and I am so glad that I did because I loved this book for many reasons, and one of those reasons was the history, but another reason were the characters, and not just the Main Character, but the secondary characters as well.

This book in one way about Hitler and his life before he became the face of Germany, and on the other hand it is about Gretchen and her journey through her grief and discovery of who Hitler really was and the effect he had on the people around her. The detail and amount of research that went into this book blew me away. I never at any point felt like the author was dumping info into my lap, it came gradually and I loved that about this book. At times it felt like I was there with Gretchen, weaving in and out of the streets of Germany and at times, interacting with her "Uncle Dolf."

The secondary characters were the best part for me because I felt they were the real story. I especially loved Gretchen's brother because he was the meanest character i think I have ever read in YA, ever. He was sadistic, threatening and a psychopath. This was the first time I have read a character like him and I honestly did not know I could hate someone that much, but i did. And I think the most frustrating part of reading his character was that no one believed Gretchen when she told them about her brother and how horrible he was to not only Jews but her as well.

Now, there is a love story in this novel and I really liked it because i felt like it wasn't overwhelming me as a reader and yet it made sense for Gretchen's character. Daniel was the exact opposite of her and her beliefs, but when he tells her that her fathers death was a murder she begins to think differently and therefore her feelings change. He becomes the only one she can trust and I thought that relationship was a great distraction from the Hitler aspect of the story.

If you are at all interested in WWII history please pick up this book because it will give you an inside look at what happened behind the scenes. And you will definitely fall in love with the characters in this book, it is quite hard not to root for Gretchen and Daniel and I really am looking forward to reading more in this series!





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Title: The Winner's Curse
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Winner's Trilogy #1
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: March 4th 2014
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Source: eARC received by Publisher in exchange for honest review

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Winning what you want may cost you everything you love

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.


This book has so much hype behind it that I honestly was skeptical about reading it, but I am never one to not read a book because of the hype. Actually I tend to thrive on it. I love when so many people love a book because I already go in with a critical view and therefore I think that the story becomes that much more complex for me.

The Winner's curse is like no other book I have read. The writing is so much more complex then I ever imagined. The author is genius when it comes to world building because I loved everything about this world. The castles, the clothes, the hierarchy and the family dynamic.  Kestral our lovely narrator was a great main character because she was strong, independent and brave from the very beginning and she never really wavers from that throughout the book. In YA today we need more strong female characters and Kestral will forever be one of those characters. It was quite refreshing that she was not boy crazy and obsessed with looks and appearance. Although there is a very slow building love story, I did like that it was not the main focus of the book.

Not only did we get Kestral's point of view but we also got Arin's. A young servant who is plotting to overtake the kingdom with a rebellion. I loved seeing his perspective because it was so drastically different from Kestral's. Their lives were forever intertwined but they both lived in completely different worlds and yet they seemed to always find each other. I will say that their "love story" was not what I wanted at all. I wanted more passion and more everything and I found that their relationship seemed to be forced at times. But I hope that this expands in the next book, but oh boy will I be waiting on the edge of my seat to read that one!

Overall this book lived up to the hype and this is must read if only for the writing because I cannot say enough how beautiful and talented this author is. She depicts a world so unlike our own, yet makes it feel so realistic and plausible. I loved every aspect of it and cannot awit to see what she does in the future.

Title: A Mad Wicked Folly
Author: Sharon Biggs Waller
Genre: YA Historical
Release Date: January 23, 2014
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Source: ARC provided by publisher in exchange for honest review

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Welcome to the world of the fabulously wealthy in London, 1909, where dresses and houses are overwhelmingly opulent, social class means everything, and women are taught to be nothing more than wives and mothers. Into this world comes seventeen-year-old Victoria Darling, who wants only to be an artist—a nearly impossible dream for a girl.
           
After Vicky poses nude for her illicit art class, she is expelled from her French finishing school. Shamed and scandalized, her parents try to marry her off to the wealthy Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky has other things on her mind: her clandestine application to the Royal College of Art; her participation in the suffragette movement; and her growing attraction to a working-class boy who may be her muse—or may be the love of her life. As the world of debutante balls, corsets, and high society obligations closes in around her, Vicky must figure out: just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dreams?


I am a sucker for historical YA, so when I saw that A Mad Wicked Folly was set during the time of the Suffragettes I was super excited because that time was very imprtant not only for woman's right to vote, but for the world to understand that women had a right to live their own lives. Although I love historical fiction, it does have to be done right, and honestly this one was a little on the boring side to me.

The characters themselves were great and memorable which was great to read. I loved Vicky because she was such a force for her passions, and that is exactly what you want in a female heroine. I hated Vicky's father mostly because he is a man of the times, so that means he thinks nothing of women's rights, and believes that the only place for a woman is in the house and being a wife and mother. Will Fletcher was a great breath of fresh air in this novel because he was not against women's rights, he actually believed they should have a vote. And his relationship with Vicky was fast and emotional. I just wish that there was more to it then I read. It seemed like there could have been more interactions.

What I think I did not like about this book was the amount of description there was. I loved the description of the Suffragettes and their campaign because I fond that stuff fascinating, but honestly everything was too much for me. For a YA novel it seemed like too much exposition and not enough dialogue. The characters in this book were great and their interactions with each other was great and I constantly found myself skipping over descriptions to the dialogue because I found that more entertaining.

If you are a historical YA junkie, this book might be for you. But for me I was looking for more character interaction and less of the London setting.

Title: Hideous Love
Author: Stephanie Hemphill
Genre: YA, Verse, Hsitorical
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: eARC received from publisher for honest review

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From award-winning author Stephanie Hemphill comes the fascinating story of Mary Shelley, a brilliant teenager who wrote one of the greatest literary masterpieces of all time: Frankenstein.

An all-consuming love affair.

A family torn apart by scandal.

A young author on the brink of greatness.

Hideous Love is the fascinating story of Gothic novelist Mary Shelley, who as a teen girl fled her restrictive home only to find herself in the shadow of a brilliant but moody boyfriend, famed poet Percy Shelley. It is the story of the mastermind behind one of the most iconic figures in all of literature: a monster constructed out of dead bodies and brought to life by the tragic Dr. Frankenstein.

Mary wrote Frankenstein at the age of nineteen, but inspiration for the monster came from her life-the atmospheric European settings she visited, the dramas swirling around her, and the stimulating philosophical discussions with the greatest minds of the period, like her close friend, Lord Byron.

This luminous verse novel from award-winning author Stephanie Hemphill reveals how Mary Shelley became one of the most celebrated authors in history.


Mary Shelley is a very popular figure in literature and for woman writers, and so when I saw that Hideous Love was based off of her life, i knew I had to read it. When i was in university I studied women in literature and I studied Mary Shelley pretty closely. We learned about her writing and about her personal life. So this novel was something I was very interesting. And it was beautiful!

Told in verse, Hideous Love takes the reader in a journey of Mary's love affair with Percy and how she ended up writing one of the most notable novels in history. I will say that because I had already studied Mary's life and knew everything there was to know, the story itself wasn't new, but what I loved most about this book was the way it was written.

Verse is not for everyone, because you not have to read the words, but you have to read in between the lines at what is not being said. The writing in this book was extremely beautiful and well done. It was almost like the emotions of Mary herself were written and we were just privilege enough to read it. I know a lot of teens might not like this type of novel, but to me it gives me a chance to look beyond the words and try and figure out the alternate meaning. I loved that.

It is no secret that Mary Shelley wrote amazing poetry in her lifetime, so it seems fitting that her life story be told on the same fashion. I really hope that readers will pick up this book and not only revel in the amazing writing, but also learn about this amazing women who wont through terrible heartbreaks at a very young age, and came out on the other end stronger, and full of brilliance. This is a must read for literature lovers of all ages.