Review: Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr + Giveaway!

My first Melissa Marr book and it took me on a different, delightful ride.

Title: Carnival of Souls (Carnival of Souls #1) by Melissa Marr
Pages: 306
Release Date: September 4th 2012
Published by: HarperCollins
Source: Publisher for tour (Thanks Christine & Pinoy Book Tours!)
Buy locally: National Book Store | Fully Booked

Summary:

In a city of daimons, rigid class lines separate the powerful from the power-hungry. And at the heart of The City is the Carnival of Souls, where both murder and pleasure are offered up for sale. Once in a generation, the carnival hosts a deadly competition that allows every daimon a chance to join the ruling elite. Without the competition, Aya and Kaleb would both face bleak futures--if for different reasons. For each of them, fighting to the death is the only way to try to live.

All Mallory knows of The City is that her father--and every other witch there--fled it for a life in exile in the human world. Instead of a typical teenage life full of friends and maybe even a little romance, Mallory scans quiet streets for threats, hides herself away, and trains to be lethal. She knows it's only a matter of time until a daimon finds her and her father, so she readies herself for the inevitable. While Mallory possesses little knowledge of The City, every inhabitant of The City knows of her. There are plans for Mallory, and soon she, too, will be drawn into the decadence and danger that is the Carnival of Souls.

Welcome to the Carnival of Souls, a place where you can procure anything and everything for a price, where people crave blood and violence, a place where a dangerous game opens up every year for those who wants to rise in power. For Aya, winning the competition means breaking free of the role set for her as a breeder, even if it means hurting Belias, her intended one. For Kaleb, to rise from a lowly existence, to rule, to protect his packmate, Zevi. Their lives will be inexplicably tangled with Mallory, a girl who has secrets that will prove deadly to both Aya and Kaleb.

The backdrop of the story was what first grabbed my attention. Carnival of Souls slips in and out of two worlds, one where the Daimons rule, and the other, the normal world, where the Witches thrive. The lines blur between the modern world of the Witches against the seemingly otherworldly one for the Daimons. There's a big contrast between both, and the City seemed more attractive and fascinating, making me feel how bland the modern world seem. Melissa Marr created two different settings and connected them. It's hard to make sense of at first, but like Kaleb traveling from one to the other, it takes time to get used to, but it's still quite interesting how both co-exist in one story.

With a lush and intriguing setting in place, Melissa Marr then introduces us to the lives of Aya, Kaleb, Zevi, Mallory and Belias. You'd think that with quite a handful of characters, the story will feel scattered and unfocused, but it's the opposite. The author took great care in developing their back stories well, it's amazing how much has been revealed considering that she only has 300 pages to work on. There's a strong foundation for each of the characters, and it allows readers to form an impression for each one of them. I despised Aya's character initially, as I couldn't see how she can throw away a life of luxury to fight in the Carnival. She was throwing away the very thing that Kaleb works hard for. I could not understand her reasons for it, and how she was able to devoid herself of emotions just to get what she wants. Kaleb and Zevi's connection to each other still confuses me, but they had a bond deeper than family which is admirable. The motivations behind Kaleb's desire to rise above his station was pitiful but very understandable. They had done what they could to survive, and they won't stop until they reach their goal, even if it meets getting bruised, battered and broken in the process. One of the disappointments I had in this book was how I felt when I read about Mallory. I had such high hopes for her, but Mallory's character failed to rouse the same curiousity I had with Aya, Kaleb and Zevi. She was too good, too unaware, too weak. For someone who is an integral part of the core story, her character felt lacking compared to the three, even to Belias. His relationship with Aya was what saddened me at times. The star crossed lovers angle never fails to grab my attention.

There was enough conflict and tangled ties to keep a reader occupied in this novel. I can imagine how each fight inside the Carnival happens as I soak in every word and description of it all. Cruelty and violence go hand in hand in this book. There were conflicts within existing conflicts and readers will need to work their way through the complicated relationships between rulers and followers, mothers and daughters, brothers and sisters, packmates, lovers and friends. There's much going on in the story, as stories still exists within it that readers must keep up with the pace and each development as the story pushes through. Surprisingly, despite all of the intricacies woven inside Carnival of Souls, it was not the least difficult to read, and there was never a dull moment in it.

Carnival of Souls gave me a one of a kind experience. Readers can spend hours trying to understand the beauty and ugliness of life within the City and decoding the conflicts which lead to the mutual hatred between the Daimons and the Witches. Each character had a mystery that is yet to be unlocked in this novel, a secret that is yet to be revealed, but what Melissa Marr gave to a reader like me was enough to keep me anticipating for more. Even with an abrupt ending, I know that what's in store for the readers in the second book is something worth waiting for! With a beguiling storyline and a myriad of unique characters all living within a world unlike any other, Carnival of Souls is a strong, appealing start to a charming series!

My rating
I am just not convinced with Mallory's character, but I am giving her a chance to redeem herself in the next book.  The Carnival, the City, the Untamed Lands and the human world all clash with each other and gives such a challenging world to the story.

Content (plot, story flow, character):

.5
Okay: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!

Book Cover:
I now understand why the cover had to be a mask.

GIVEAWAY ALERT! WIN A COPY OF CARNIVAL OF SOULS BY MELISSA MARR!

We are giving away a finished, paperback copy of Carnival of Souls!

Rules:

Open to PH residents only. (Sorry US/International peeps)

Ends 10/20

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ARC Review: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

I've always been looking for something when I read novels about mermaids. They've always been portrayed as maidens seducing men and bringing them to their deaths. Same old, same old. There has to be more to a siren's story, and Elizabeth Fama wrote Syrenka's love story and it was quite different!

Title: Monstrous Beauty (Monstrous Beauty #1) by Elizabeth Fama
Pages: 304
Release Date: September 4th 2012
Published by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Source: Book tour (thanks, PBT!)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository


Summary:

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

Two stories spanning centuries unfold in this tale of love and the sacrifices one must make in order to achieve it. Syrenka's tale started in the 1500s, a mermaid who had loved and lost. She could not comprehend her difference from that of humans, and she had lost the love of her life as a result. Syrenka was given another chance, and this time she would do anything to be with her love. But humanity has a price, and she had promised far more than she can give. Syrenka walked on land, but someone who is bound to the sea can never escape from it and tragedy followed. Centuries later, seventeen year old Hester, whose family has experienced death every generation, is determined to not fall in love. She swore not experience what it's like to fall in love, never get married, never be with child, never die days after she has given birth to another daughter. But Hester met Ezra, and her lonely existence suddenly wants more. What she didn't know was that fateful meeting is the key to unlocking what happened in the past, and solving the mystery of the deaths in her family.

Hester's somber, pessimistic personality is a little familiar and easy to read into. I wasn't really drawn to her, but I can understand her a little bit. She has her own reasons for not wanting to end up like all the females in her family, and if death is a possible future for her, why even try to love? Little did Hester know that there is more to her aversion of making a family than she knew. And when she met a mysterious boy in a dark cave by the ocean, Hester's life slowly unfolded. The one thing that felt hurried for me was how Hester seemed to have fallen in love with Ezra. It contradicted all that she stood for initially. Why this boy? Why now? The change of heart felt too fast for me, although reasons were mentioned why that's the case. Despite that, Ezra and Hester's relationship was one of the very few things that made me smile in this book. Ezra's witty self was very entertaining.

You'll be a little familiar with the word tragedy by the time you're finished with this book. Syrenka's life had enough of it. What she wanted was simple, to be able to be with the one she loved. But Syrenka is a mermaid, and she was never going to walk on land and be with her human lover if she's not willing to make a sacrifice. I have to admit that I was horrified with the events that transpired in Syrenka's life. It was more than a tragedy. Her life has touched base with the most horrifying events you can think of. Syrenka's character is very different from that of Hester, and I definitely enjoyed reading about her more. She's passionate, beautiful, curious, spirited, full of spunk and she had a flare for life and getting what she wants to matter what. If your idea of a mermaid is that of Little Mermaid's Ariel, sweet, naive and too trusting, you might be a little overwhelmed with Syrenka. 

It's not easy to write a story going back and forth in time, if not handled properly it can confuse readers more than help give them clarity but surprisingly the way the story unfolded simultaneously was clear. Monstrous Beauty is a story filled with enough question and mystery that you'll find yourself asking a lot of whys and whats and how all of it is connected to each other, or if it's even connected at all. Readers, however, must keep track with so many characters and that might make them a little lost like I was. There was so much of them that played a vital role in making the story understandable and if you missed or forgot about them, you might need to re-read some parts to connect each clue, each character's past to get a clear picture of the whole tale.

I'm not quite sure how to classify Elizabeth Fama's story, or if it even needs classifying. It's a mix of the paranormal, mythological and mystery all combined in an inventive and certainly a darker, more mature, more sinister take in the tale of the mermaids. It's got a little bit of a kick in the heart, bittersweet and not exactly a happy read, but definitely something new. You think mermaids and ghosts do not mix? Read this book, and tell me what you think. There might be some part that might make a few people uncomfortable, but I maybe it's necessarily to deliver such a melancholic tale. Overall, this is an interesting read.

Monstrous Beauty is also available as an audiobook in Macmillan audio! If you're curious to know how it sounds like, listen to a preview below:

My rating
It just makes me wonder, what else is there to look forward to in the sequel?
Content (plot, story flow, character):

Okay: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!

Book Cover:
I loved the final version of the cover.

Finally! A Book Tour site for Filipinos!

So you might have seen me and Precious (Fragments of Life) brainstorming for weeks about this project. Apparently, third time's a charm because the plan for a tour site has finally pushed through!

This top secret endeavor, dubbed Sekrit Project #1, is now out in the open!

As of tonight, Pinoy Books Tours is officially launched! It's a book tour site dedicated solely for touring books for the Filipino audience. As international book bloggers we know how hard it is to get books for review and since Precious and I are lucky enough to get ARCs/books for review from various publishers based overseas (UK, Australia and the US, sometimes) we figured why not share what we get to our fellow Filipino readers?

Pinoy Book Tours

http://pinoybooktours.blogspot.com/

Sign-ups are now open. You need to fill out the form if you want to participate in any of the upcoming tours. If you have questions, or you want to donate a book for touring, you can e-mail us at pinoybooktours AT gmail DOT com.

Our first tour will be for Douglas Rees' The Juliet Spell. We will be posting details about this tour tomorrow, so watch out for it!

Help us spread the word about this book tour site, please? If you're a Filipino book blogger, a tweet, FB status update, Goodreads update or a blog post will be greatly appreciated!