Favorite Enemies
- A Little Sisterly Advice
- Cheeky Reads
- DRD aka Donna's Blog
- Gunner Marnee's Blog
- J.K. Coi: Living with Immortals
- Just Janga
- Killer Fiction
- Kimberly Killion
- Maggie Robinson
- Maureen O. Betita
- Megan Kelly
- Pam Clare
- Renee Lynn Scott
- Romance Bandits
- Romance Dish
- Scapegoat's Blogspot
- Smartass Romance
- Terri Osburn Writes Romance
- Tessa Dare
- Vauxhall Vixens
Blog Archive
Powered by Blogger.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Melissa Marr's Graveminder: American Gothic Is Back
So say you were tired of reading about love triangles, vampires, and shapeshifters? And say you did want to pick up a book that was more spooky than sweetly inspirational? What would you pick up? I mean, is there a book out there that is spooky without being about vampires or demons?
Actually there is. And I’m sure the answer is: actually there are, as in there are more than one book that isn’t about vampires, shapeshifters, or demons, oh, my. But today I’m only equipped to tell you about one: Graveminder by Melissa Marr.
I will file my disclaimer first—as is true with almost all the books I review here—I got the book for free, but before I agreed, I did go to Melissa’s website and read the first excerpt and that’s what sold me. Even if they didn’t send me the book, I would find a copy and read it. It had one of those openings.
I mean, how can you resist shivering at the words whispered over a grave: “Sleep well, and stay where I put you.”
Graveminder is about a pact with Death, a centuries old contract a town has had in exchange for long life and ‘safety’, about death and loss and secrets, and occasionally about zombies. There’s a tunnel to the land of the dead under the town; and there is an Undertaker and a Graveminder, and they’re bound to each other—so to speak—a sort of soul mates (said without any irony). Okay, and maybe there is a bit of a love triangle. You have Charlie (Death) and Byron (the Undertaker) and Rebekkah (the Graveminder). And both of them want Bek. Bek doesn’t really want either of them, per se, but I would say she is attracted to both of them in different ways.
On the whole fantasy-horror isn’t my normal read, but this book was imminently readable. It was interesting and complex and creepy and compelling. I didn’t want to stop turning pages; and I got to a certain point in the book and thought, “There is no way everything can be resolved in fifty more pages.” And I realized this would be a series. Or I hope it is. I want to know more about the pact with Death; I want to know about Charlie; and I want to know more about Byron and Bek.
This book read a bit like American Gothic—except it is still very much its own story. It’s more; and it’s one of those books you could see as a TV show and you hope they didn’t screw it up. This story is chock full of complex characters, conflict, emotion, and authenticity. I also enjoyed the fact the author was able to do things that is normally “forbidden”: multiple characters; multiple POVs; and flashbacks. None of it seemed out of place or overdone; none of it was confusing where I was struggling to remember who someone was.
In the end, I wish I hadn’t read it so fast so I could have enjoyed it a bit more—especially Byron who is one delicious Undertaker—but also so I could have enjoyed Charlie a bit more as well. Is it creepy to have a little crush on Death? Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of. Who knew Death could be so charming?
Do any of you read fantasy-horror? If so, who do you read? Has anyone read any of Melissa Marr’s other books (Wicked Lovely)? Does anyone else have the problem of getting a crush on the anti-hero? Have any of you heard of this book and been looking forward to reading it? Let’s discuss our favorite anti-heroes, fantasy-horror, and American Gothic books.
Actually there is. And I’m sure the answer is: actually there are, as in there are more than one book that isn’t about vampires, shapeshifters, or demons, oh, my. But today I’m only equipped to tell you about one: Graveminder by Melissa Marr.
I will file my disclaimer first—as is true with almost all the books I review here—I got the book for free, but before I agreed, I did go to Melissa’s website and read the first excerpt and that’s what sold me. Even if they didn’t send me the book, I would find a copy and read it. It had one of those openings.
I mean, how can you resist shivering at the words whispered over a grave: “Sleep well, and stay where I put you.”
Graveminder is about a pact with Death, a centuries old contract a town has had in exchange for long life and ‘safety’, about death and loss and secrets, and occasionally about zombies. There’s a tunnel to the land of the dead under the town; and there is an Undertaker and a Graveminder, and they’re bound to each other—so to speak—a sort of soul mates (said without any irony). Okay, and maybe there is a bit of a love triangle. You have Charlie (Death) and Byron (the Undertaker) and Rebekkah (the Graveminder). And both of them want Bek. Bek doesn’t really want either of them, per se, but I would say she is attracted to both of them in different ways.
On the whole fantasy-horror isn’t my normal read, but this book was imminently readable. It was interesting and complex and creepy and compelling. I didn’t want to stop turning pages; and I got to a certain point in the book and thought, “There is no way everything can be resolved in fifty more pages.” And I realized this would be a series. Or I hope it is. I want to know more about the pact with Death; I want to know about Charlie; and I want to know more about Byron and Bek.
This book read a bit like American Gothic—except it is still very much its own story. It’s more; and it’s one of those books you could see as a TV show and you hope they didn’t screw it up. This story is chock full of complex characters, conflict, emotion, and authenticity. I also enjoyed the fact the author was able to do things that is normally “forbidden”: multiple characters; multiple POVs; and flashbacks. None of it seemed out of place or overdone; none of it was confusing where I was struggling to remember who someone was.
In the end, I wish I hadn’t read it so fast so I could have enjoyed it a bit more—especially Byron who is one delicious Undertaker—but also so I could have enjoyed Charlie a bit more as well. Is it creepy to have a little crush on Death? Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of. Who knew Death could be so charming?
Do any of you read fantasy-horror? If so, who do you read? Has anyone read any of Melissa Marr’s other books (Wicked Lovely)? Does anyone else have the problem of getting a crush on the anti-hero? Have any of you heard of this book and been looking forward to reading it? Let’s discuss our favorite anti-heroes, fantasy-horror, and American Gothic books.
Labels:
Captain's Quarters (Hellion)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Books by the Crew
51 comments:
I think I've seen this book and author on Facebook, but I'm not sure. It sounds fascinating.
As for reading things of this sort...so many flirt with elements like these, but not all of them at once. And anti-heros, I sorta think of John Taylor from Simon R. Green's Nightside series as an anti-hero. He doesn't have a whole lot of team spirit and tends to do what he does for good reason, but wrecks havoc along the way.
And I love him!
I believe 'The Seventh Seal' was a film that first brought Ingmar Bergman world recognition as a director. Set in England at a time when the black death was prevalent, a medieval knight plays chess with a personified death.
I found the film very spooky, but totally absorbing. One becomes fascinated by the horror and when under Bergman's spell, the experience takes on a reality that can be really frightening for some (including my girl friend at the time!)
Nothing like a good gothic horror film to get the girl shifting into your lap though! :wink:
I don't read this stuff ... it would give me nightmares.
I must be out of the loop because I hadn't heard of this one until I read this blog and looked it up.
It sounds awesome. I'm always surprised when authors take a twist on a current trend. Zombies, Vamps, Weres, whatever. I recently read Joss Ware's post-apocalyptic series and was impressed by the originality too.
Favorite anti-heroes? Snape, of course. I never had a crush on him but I appreciated his role in the story. And when I read his parts in DHs, I couldn't help but be sad for him and have a writer's crush on Rowling.
I hadn't heard of this one, but I do have a Hardcover copy of Wicked Lovely sitting in my TBR pile. It's actually signed by Melissa and everything - I think I got it at RWA Nationals or RT one year. I do remember that the cover was very cool.
I've seen more and more authors doing the love triangle thing lately and so much so that I would call it a hot trend right now. Seems like UF and paranormals are where it's happening the most since it's about a HFN and not a HEA. Makes it easier to have the two men in the picture.
I always wonder if this is becuase of the success of writers like Nora with her on-going series with two hot men vying for the heroines attention. She obviously proves that it can work and readers will love it if done well.
2nd: What's team spirit? Must look me up some John Taylor. *LOL*
I have read other books similar to this, but not will all the elements at once like you said. It was like she took several things that were familiar, but then did something a little different. :) It was good.
And I kinda have the hots for Death.
Q, I have not yet seen the Seventh Seal--I need to watch that one. :)
You know what you can do. You can get the book, put a girl on your lap, and read to her. You'll get a similar effect of wiggling and clutching at you, esp if you use a spooky voice in the right places. You don't even have to do a spooky voice. Just use your British one. If you've listened to the "coffee break" series of Carte Noire where Greg Wise reads Pride & Prejudice, you'll understand why every woman in America would love to sit in Greg's lap and wiggle all over it while he reads. Oh, la, la!
Marn, I was thinking about Harry Potter this weekend...and how soon the last movie is coming out. *sighs* I hope they don't ruin Snape's scene in it. It needs to be good. Snape is a great anti-hero; and I cried at that scene only slightly less than I cried at the Forest scene. What a blubbering mess I was in that book.
Scape, Nora does the triangle thing with her Robb books, right?
The Triangle thing is a good device from keeping the hero and heroine from getting together too soon, or if they're together, from them getting complacent. No Moonlighting problems. For some reason, it's not very exciting if couples are fighting who takes out the trash or putting down the toilet seat. That's not big enough. Will they or won't they is always the much bigger deal.
The Robb books have a love triangle? I thought Eve and Rourke were a married couple? Huh.
The triangle is huge in YA, which also seems to have darker stuff like this book. Add me to the "never heard of this one" club but it sounds really good. I did read that vamp book last year because the opening completely sucked me in. Mayhaps this will be my one para book of this year.
I haven't read Gothics since Brenda Joyce back in the late 80s/early 90s. I think Joyce is the author I'm thinking of. My preferences do not run to thriller, fantasy, or gothic anything.
I haven't read any of Melissa Marr's books -- I don't generally read YA, and I'm not a fan of fantasy or horror. :( This does sound like an interesting read though.
I'm also not a fan of love triangles--pretty much the way you don't like dukes. LOL It feels like a device to keep characters from getting together, and to prolong a series, so it makes me irritable. LOL I also feel bad for the person who doesn't get picked!
What else would you consider American Gothic books? I loved that TV series so I'd love to hear your recommendations. :)
Donna, I'm not a big fan of fantasy-horror typically. For instance, never read any Stephen King. Ever. Which always confuses my friend who thinks I read everything. Laurell K. Hamilton is the closest I've come to fantasy-horror (and there are some gruesome scenes in her books, so horror is apt!), and I enjoy her Anita Blake series.
This book is much tamer in the gruesome category--it doesn't need to focus too much on the gore and blood to spook you out. However, in the first Anita Blake book, it was pretty tame and it got more gruesome as it went along. I would imagine as this series grew and the stakes changed, it would probably evolve and get more gruesome and horrific too.
*LOL* I also feel bad for the person who doesn't get picked too, Donna. *LOL*
Bo'sun, I'm not sure if I made this clear in the blog, but this book is Marr's first ADULT book. She previously wrote YA.
I think you'd really like Byron. He's seriously your kind of fellow. *LOL* You should make this your one exception for the year, I think. No vampires!
Sorry, I know this is adult. I thought we were just talking about the love triangle stuff and I don't think you can get away with a YA without the triangle these days.
And since I'm writing a love triangle right now, I was trying to deflect attention elsewhere. LOL!
I like his name already. And the cover looks perfect for the tone you're describing.
Terri, I wasn't referring to your love triangle. :) It's the love triangles that span a series that make me crazy, because it feels like artificial tension. I guess it's because I want the HEA at the end of the book, and feel cheated when I don't get that.
I read a paranormal book recently that I enjoyed. . .until I got to the end and realized they were gonna drag out the resolution of the love interest over several books. Aaaugh! They should have had a warning label on the book. LOL
Someone slap me - I said Nora but I meant Evanovich. Sigh.
My excuse is it's Monday.
I don’t think you can get away with a YA without the triangle these days.
True, but do you think that might have something to do with the fact that it'd be creepy to know who your "soul mate" or "The One" was at age 15 or so? For teenagers, isn't it more acceptable to have a couple of possible choices to pick from? *LOL*
I thought that's what you meant, Scape. LOL! And oh boy is it Monday. *sigh*
That bothers me too, Donna. Which is why I don't read those series. LOL! Mine will be wrapped up in one nice, neat bow, with the third angle getting his own HEA in the next book. And he'll only have one woman to choose from so that'll be a.....is there a geometric term for that? (See Monday note above.)
Donna, I think paranormals are more prone to drag out love triangles, because they're going to be a series. If you're not solving murder or horror, there's no reason for a series, is there? *LOL*
Yes, Bo'sun, it's called a LINE.
Hellion, you may be right about the love triangle for YA. Of course, the big thing in YA is dystopian, so I guess if the end of the world is upon you, you might as well have more than one love interest while you can. LOL
Terri, I wouldn't have picked up the book if I'd known they were going to do that to me. LOL
Is it too early to start drinking? It's so dark outside it feels like it should be happy hour already. (Yes, I'm getting crankier as the day goes on.)
Could I have thrown the word "tired" in there one more time??
Could someone explain dystopian to me? I'm too tired to look it up and I'm tired of not having any idea what the hell people are talking about.
Yes, I'm sure this question makes me look stupid, but again, too tired to care. LOL!
Thank you, Prof Hellion.
Just being a smartass, Bo'sun, no need to get your knickers in a twist.
I hear the dystopian thing a lot lately and don't really know either. I assume is similar or the same as apocalyptic.
Was that snippy? I was being serious. LOL!
It's the opposite of utopia -- where everything is happy and perky and perfect. So "apocalyptic" is a good description I think. Grim. Hopeless. Bleak.
Oh, no wonder teenagers like to read about that stuff. God forbid they admit they're actually HAPPY about anything.
Oh, no wonder teenagers like to read about that stuff. God forbid they admit they’re actually HAPPY about anything.
LOL -- good point. When I had teenagers as employees, everything was life and death. EVERY THING. So now I'm understanding their love of dystopian stuff.
My pre-teen is still in the "I'm happy, why can't all these other kids be happy?" phase. I'm trying to nurture that as long as I can.
Thanks for the explanation! I had that idea, but I didn't know if there was some element that I was missing.
It's the teenager version of unhappiness. Not just unhappy--but the WORST, MOST UNHAPPY, NEVER CAN OVERCOME UNHAPPINESS YOU COULD EVER, EVER IMAGINE!
Again, quite easy to see why it's popular with teenagers.
I remember those days. You couldn't pay me to go back there.
Yeah, Nora's couple is married and they argue and it's hot. IT CAN BE DONE! I find triangles tiresome when they drag on and on. I don't mind throwing a threesome together, but not the 'him or him' stuff, at least not longer than one or two books as the guys take turns being the jerk so she bounces from one to the other.
Consistency!
Unhappily ever after seems to be the teen theme. I don't get it. But I wasn't the life is a catastrophe teen
But I wasn’t the life is a catastrophe teen
That's because you'd already met your true love by the time you graduated. Of course you were happy. *LOL*
Does anyone else have the problem of getting a crush on the anti-hero?
Uh. So that's a bad thing? Because I'm always falling for the anti-hero. In real life, I married the good guy; I'm not stupid. But I find that the anti-hero is often the most complex and interesting character in a book/movie.
I also have a fondness for love triangles as long as they don't go on forever and ever. (Make a choice, already!)
Anyway, thanks for posting this review. I'm going to have to add this to my TBR pile.
P--no, we're all mostly anti-hero lovers around here so you're in good company. (Bo'sun's the main beta keeper around here, but she'd be pleased in this book because there's a beta guy who's just a flat out good guy and makes the right decision, capable--you know, the other fantasy we have about men, the man who is capable...)
And I think that's the main consensus on the triangles too. It's fine for a selected amount of time and then it's clearly: Tinkle or get off the pot, Princess.
Does that mean anti-heroes aren't betas? Because the ones I'm thinking of could qualify as betas. Jack Sparrow isn't exactly alpha. LOL!
And I think that’s the main consensus on the triangles too. It’s fine for a selected amount of time and then it’s clearly: Tinkle or get off the pot, Princess.
This is how I felt about the Twilight books.
Yeah, Jack doesn't scream alpha, but he does spend a lot of time trying to steal back his own ship. A beta always struck me as more ethical. Like Will Turner. Will is a beta, who shows some alpha behavior over and over.
I keep reading articles how alphas-betas-gammas-thetas don't describe male characters sufficiently enough. So instead of saying Jack or Will was a beta, we'd say Will was a Warrior (Best Friend); and Jack was a Swashbuckler. That actually describes their actions better than trying to decide if they're alpha or not. Or at least it's easier to agree about. *LOL* Maybe the articles are right.
So Byron isn't exactly beta--he is more ethical, I think, but that's not necessarily a beta quality--he's more Warrior type. And I think father was the Best Friend type. Charlie in the book is either a Lost Soul or Charmer.
Where are you getting these labels, Hel? Sounds fascinating!
Helli: You know what you can do. You can get the book, put a girl on your lap, and read to her.
Ah, sweet memories. When all the girls in the class clamored to sit on my lap! I think I'll drink to those halcyon days .... Cheers :D
I love the way that geometry enters YA reading through triangles, particularly when most hate the maths teacher ... at least when he's in class mode.
Perhaps YKA (young kraken adults) go more for polygons, with all those tentacles. Perhaps polygonal love stories could become the genre to be in, when Chance has finished paving the way. :lol:
My favorite writing book: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Writers-Guide-Heroes-Heroines/dp/1580650244/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305570419&sr=8-1
I got it because I had Debra Dixon's Goal Motivation Conflict book, and we were supposed to "label" our heroes. And I wasn't very creative about it. So if my hero was a carpenter, that'd be his label. But then I found this book and it was like, "OMG! At last!" and I'd read through the descriptions and go, "You know, Ben seems like this label" and I could move on. It gives good examples of how this type of person would react or more importantly WOULDN'T react.
Helps keep your characters in character, unless you've shown sufficiently that there's been change and they can now behave like that.
Helps me anyway, because as I said earlier, not real original. "How would a carpenter behave...he'd hammer things...yeah..."
he'd hammer things...
Writing erotica now, Cap'n?
I'll have to look for this book... Wish these things came in e-books more!
Actually it does come in e-book!
Well, a kindle. I don't have a kindle... I'll do some research and see if it comes just reg. e-book. Though it's cheap enough, I might just snag the print!
I HATE the CAPTCHA Code. It ate another long post. I'll be back if I can reconstruct it. GRRR!
According to my notes, and the OED, a dystopia is “an imaginary place or condition in which everything is as bad as possible.” The dystopian novels I’m most familiar with are literary fiction such as Brave New World by George Orwell, Nineteen Eight Four by George Orwell, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, all of which I taught at least once. It’s not a genre I often read from choice. The only YA dystopian novels I remember reading are Lois Lowry’s books: The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger. Even though I read a fair number of YA novels, I have not read Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy or Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead Tossed Waves, but I’ve heard a lot about them from two young cousins who are my best source about YA. They’ve read most of Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely books.
As for heroes, even though I am an avowed beta lover, I think confining a character to a label limits them. The best heroes, IMO, never fit neatly into boxes; there is always a part of them that works against type. The warrior with a poet’s soul, the safe confidant with a soupcon of bad boy, the logician with an artistic gift are just some examples.
I like the way you think, Janga. Sorry about the captcha code. :(
Far as I can tell, I've never had any interest in dystopian stories. This explains my lack of knowledge on the subject.
Q - I do love how your mind works! A polygon love affair. Or would that be affairs? ;-)
Janga - Yeah, I totally agree. I love heroes who seem to be a bit of this and a bit of that!
Everything's as bad as possible. *LOL* I've only read Lord of the Flies, and only because it was required. Everything else I managed to avoid. Thank goodness. Including the newer YA stuff. The Hunger Games totally revolts me--why would you sacrifice your children that way? For entertainment? I don't want to read about something like that.
Janga, Pat Rice (I think) on Wordly Wenches was talking about the Warrior Poet. *sighs* I do love those heroes. And I do prefer heroes who seems all of ONE THING (the warrior, the professor, the chief) and then there is a lovely bit of something else that is completely against the type that makes them really human. Because as humans aren't we all contradictory in that fashion but it still works?
Q, why am I not the least surprised that in your misspent youth, women were clamoring to sit in your lap? *wicked grin*
See, Q's a RL hero who proves my point--a scientist who loves romance novels and imaginative women. :)
Yes, we really do need to write something featuring our romantic scientist one of these days. Feature him in an all day adventure aboard the Revenge... ;-)
Post a Comment