Friday, September 12, 2014

Feature Friday ARC Review : Made For You by Melissa Marr


*Feature Friday is a meme I came up with to feature YA books that have not yet been released by reviewing them on The Tattered Page.*


*Warning: This review may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.

PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
Release Date: 9.16.2014
Pages: 368
Source: ARC

The Story:
When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she's confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why?
It seems impossible that anyone would have it out for the town darling. Thanks to her family's distinguished history and her own unassailable reputation in old-money Jessup, Eva is universally liked. But she has little time to consider the question when she finds that she's awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people's deaths when they touch her.
Eva is struggling to understand just what these visions mean when a slew of murders takes place back home. The victims, all classmates, are discovered alongside eerie messages that tie the incidents to her. There is a killer on the loose, and he is after Eva.
While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old friend, reappears. The two traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva's power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the determined killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.
Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive Melissa Marr's racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation.
via -- Barnes and Noble

RatingTHREE Gold Stars!!!!

My Review: One word: EDGY

I think must start off by saying that Made For You is the first book I have read by Melissa Marr and my first thought is: Not bad. While I am not totally in love with it, Made For You is a book worth reading if you have the time. Do not get me wrong, I loved the storyline and the fact that there were chapters written from the killer-stalker's point of view (which was totally fun) but I felt the story lacked imagery. I don't know ... maybe I got stuck under Diana Gabaldon's weight of imagery that I am being unreasonable?

Anywho, Eva Tilling, as the main character and the character of obsession, I liked. She did not annoy me and she felt real -- like she could exist in the tangible world -- and that is always a plus. Though, I did felt bad for the way her parents neglected her but I think that added to the story. Not to mention, do I see a possible redemption in the making? *hint, hint*

Moving on, although Eva is the It Girl of the town who has to follow the southern social status rules of malarkey, she wants to break away from the mold. Not surprising is it then that her best friend, Grace Yeung, is a newbie to town who does not give a crap about the stiff, anal retentive way things are done in the south and Eva's childhood crush happens to be Nate Bouchet, "Jessup's Man-Slut."

"Hush." Offering him my most innocent look, I say, "I'm going to sleep. You're here. Ergo, sleeping with the man-slut."

"Jesus, Eva. You can't say things like that."

I put my hand over his mouth. "Shh. Sleeping now. I'll let you know if you live up to your reputation, although so far, I'm not seeing what all the fuss was about."  [page 101]

As for "Judge" -- as he so calls himself --, the killer-stalker who is obsessed with Eva, he was definitely believable. As I read his chapters, I honestly felt like the dude was off his rocker. But not to the point that Judge seemed fake. While there is no logic to crazy, there still seems to be some sort of system in place and Melissa Marr did a fabulous job and portraying that; Marr did not just throw a bunch of crazy bullshit into mix and hope for the best. If that makes any sense at all?

All in all, Made For You is a decent read if you have the time. What I absolutely appreciate the most about the book is that it is not abundantly easy to determine who the killer-stalker is. It sucks when you know who it is right away. Yes, the killer-stalker was a High Priority on my List of Suspects (out of 3) but it is not a dead giveaway. Made For You is a nicely spun tale of obsession, murder and unlikely love with a dash of suffocating southern charm. Nice job, Melissa Marr.

Also, I want to say thanks to HarperTeen for handing out copies of Made For You at BEA 2014!

*** Check out Melissa Marr's website for more information about her and Made For YouHERE

Happy Reading!

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