[This book was provided to me for no monies by the kind people at Little, Brown, facilitated in this act of goodness by NetGalley.]

When I say I like something, it doesn't mean it's something good and positive. I liked Umbridge and the Dementors in Harry Potter, for instance. Dark things, the type of thing you don't say aloud - and for lots of reasons: because it may shock, may show you up as somebody other than you are, may be unable to be made unsaid, may be made true by the saying of it - appeal to me and I think it's because they tend to stand out. I like things which are completely of themselves.

Which is why I liked Megan Abbott's The End of Everything. It has a nastiness to it, an unpleasantness, and I liked that so much because it came from a place of emotional honesty to which I can relate. I'm sure other authors must have pulled the same trick, but Abbott's is the only one I've read.

The Fever, Abbott's new novel which is out in June, has a similar feel to it but in this instance it's not a good thing. The problem is the POV. What feels authentic in first becomes self-obsessed and narcissistic in this distant-feeling third. It cuts quickly at times between its three characters - Deenie, her brother Eli, and their father Tom - but never gives them enough distinction. In a book like this, I'd hope the switches could have given me greater insight into the other characters, but they didn't. It feels lazy at times, particularly Tom. That said, I did like the writing, despite the flaws and the - at times - stock characters. 

Then there is the story itself which is really quite bizarre. It was always going to be a hard sell on me because it involves an entire town having their brains replaced with the Daily Fail's science correspondent's. Details, not spoilers here -> 

It is a pretty good jumping off point for *a* story, but here ends up leaning too heavily on it. There are good parts, good ideas creepily realised, but the ultimate resolution is a huge let down. Not specific spoiler, but an opinion the book will work better without hearing ->

It's a difficult one for me to score because it while was deeply flawed in terms of plot, I did like the writing and when I did engage with the characters, I engaged. I'm going to give it 3 stars because it's a decent read if you like the style (which I do), but if you don't I can't see anything here to recommend it. I will be looking out for further books by this author.

I'll also mention that the 14-18 year-old me would have loved it because it has drama but isn't melodramatic. 32-year-old me couldn't get past the self-obsession.

***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato

Death Sworn was a huge let down. When I first started it, I thought I would fall in love. The fantasy fan in me was fangirling and thought she had discovered a YA gem when it came to fantasy.

The problem with this book stems from the fact that essentially nothing happened. This book could have been condensed to a couple of pages for the amount of things that took place. I feel like this book was a set up for the sequel rather than a full fleshed novel. There wasn’t much character development (with reference to Sorin), there were some rather bothersome twists and the plot really didn’t grab my attention the way it should have, perhaps because it took more than a two-thirds of the book for anything substantial to actually happen.

When Ileni was first introduced, I thought I had hit the jackpot yet again with a believable female lead. One who didn’t want to play hero. One who was bitter about how little her life was worth to those who she had looked up to her whole life. I think the one thing I really liked about her character was that she wasn’t a speshul snowflake. She once was, but she was losing her powers now and that made her worthless in the world of Renegai. She had skill but skill did not hold much value with power. Her character did show some development but the problem was that I was detached from her. I did not feel a connection. I read page after page but felt nothing for her until the end. The ending made me really appreciate her character because she is her own person. What everyone else says or believes will not stop her from having doubts. She will not agree to anything without proof. She is strong enough to not let anything influence her own beliefs.

I liked Sorin. I really did. Until the ending. The ending showed me how little he had actually grown. There was no character development on his end and it pissed me off. I thought there was hope for him but I don’t think so anymore. I didn’t want him to undergo a complete personality transplant or to even regret killing people. I just wanted him to be able to think for himself. He can still obey his master AND have his own opinions but it seems as though he is just a pawn. He isn’t an individual, he is just an identity, a puppet. As someone who LOVES assassins, it really is a pity that he wasn’t up to my standards.

The world building was amazing. It really was. Which was why during the first 14% all I could do was fangirl over the brilliance of this book. It’s a shame the world building couldn’t make up for what the characters and plot lacked because otherwise this would have been a 4 star read.

The romance didn’t do much for me either. I actually have no idea how Sorin developed feelings for her. Like what? I only saw it coming because it was inevitable and not because I actually noticed the whole change in their relationship occurring. I am wondering if throwing in a romance in this book was even a good idea. Perhaps it would have been better suited for the sequel and that way there would have been more room for a more substantial plot in this book.

There was nothing going on in this book. There were hints but there wasn’t any real effort put towards finding out who the murderer was. The whole book seemed to focus on Sorin saving Ileni’s ass and their relationship. Oh and let’s not forget Irun trying to kill Ileni. The twist that occurred in the end just.. yeah.  It came out of nowhere and I really don’t understand why the book had to take THAT turn. I suppose it wasn’t impossible to swallow but it did seem a little like the author was just trying to move the book along more than anything else.

The best part of this book was The Master. He is one of the most complex characters I’ve encountered. He isn’t the good guy but he isn’t necessarily the bad guy. What I enjoy most about his character is his ability to manipulate people (of course I hate it when Sorin falls for it every time but that aside). He has this whole plan laid out, one he has probably been working on for YEARS and no one but him understands what he’s doing. In spite of this things always works out, they go smoothly and then the puzzle pieces click. Everything he does is a part of his plan and the organized, plan loving human in me squeals at the shire perfection of how he lays everything out.

I still plan on reading the sequel because I do feel like the author has an interesting writing style and the world she has built really is wonderful. I hope the sequel won’t be nearly as much of a letdown and I’ll finally see some real action.