Graveminder by Melissa Marr (Book Review)

Title: Graveminder
Author: Melissa Marr
Publisher: Harper Collins

Maylene Barrow bears a special responsibility in the town of Claysville, a duty to the newly departed that keeps all she knows and loves safe.  Rebekkah Barrow, Maylene's granddaughter, left Claysville a decade ago, trying to put painful memories behind her. 


William Montgomery was Claysville's Undertaker and Maylene's best friend for a lifetime.  Byron Montgomery, following in his father's footsteps as the town's new Undertaker, is tied to the Barrow women -- first Rebekkah's dead sister, Ella, and now Rebekkah -- in ways he is only beginning to understand.


But evil has been let loose in Claysville, and now Maylene is dead.  It falls to Rebekkah to return to the town -- and the man -- she left behind to stop a monster and keep the dead in their place.

My thoughts:  I have had the opportunity to read one of Melissa Marr's YA books - the first in the Wicked Lovely series, aptly named Wicked Lovely.  I enjoyed it greatly and have every intention of reading the rest of the books in the series.  So when I saw that Melissa Marr had written an adult book, I knew that it was a must read for me - and I was not disappointed.

The world she creates in Graveminder has the feeling of a small town from years ago.  Everybody knows everybody else, but the difference is, they don't know everybody else's business.  So while you get the small town feeling, you also get a definite spooky, gothic undertone.  There is a town council in place, as well as the Graveminder and the Undertaker - but whenever anybody learns too much about someone else's "job", they are struck with a headache and eventually forget anything they aren't "supposed" to know. 

But, someone knows more than they should, and are determined to change things to how they think they should be.  Because of it, people are being killed by an evil that should not be up walking around. 

I was hooked on these characters and this world from the first chapter. I could picture them clearly in my mind, the small town, the trusting townspeople, the cemetary. Maybe it was because of this that I was drawn so quickly into their world.  But I never could have imagined what I found there.  If you are a fan of gothic novels - definitely check out Graveminder.

~I received a complimentary copy of Graveminder from Harper Collins in exchange for my review.~

About the author: Melissa Marr is the New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series of young adult novels:  Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, Fragile Eternity, and Radiant Shadows.  She currently lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband and children.  Graveminder is her first adult novel.

You can find her at her website

Graveminder
Publisher/Publication Date: Harper Collings, May 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-182687-0
336 pages

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (Book Review)

Title: Wicked Lovely
Author: Melissa Marr
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: 2007
Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal
I read this because it is the first in a series and I received the third book as an ARC.

First sentence: The Summer King knelt before her, "Is this what you freely choose, to risk winter's chill?"

Aislinn has been taught three things all her life - 1) Don't stare at the faeries. 2)Don't speak to the faeries. 3) Don't ever attract their attention.

Now the faeries we are talking about here is not the garden variety "Tinkerbell" faeries. These are human size, invisible faeries. Some are beautiful - love to sing and dance - and others are horrible to look at and torment whomever they want whenever they want.

For many years Aislinn - or Ash, was home schooled by her grandmother. Her mother, Moira had died in childbirth. Ash's grandmother can also see the faeries. She has taught Aislinn those three important rules. They have also learned that only the strongest faeries can tolerate steel or iron, so they have fortified their house with iron bars.

Ash has a best friend named Seth who has always stood by her. She has wanted to take their relationship up a notch, but is afraid to lose him as a friend. Seth lives in 2 train cars that he has converted into a home - so Ash feels safe there, as the faeries tend to stay away. Seth, however, does not know of her incredible Sight.

Ash discovers that there are two faeries following her, Keenan and Donia. When Keenan dons his "glamour", which allows him to be visible to mortals, and talks to Ash - she is terrified. She tries her best to be nonchalant and brush him off, but after this first encounter, he only becomes more persistent. He enrolls at her school as a student and basically starts stalking her. She is the first mortal that has not fallen immediately for his charms.

You see, Keenan is the Summer King and he has been searching for his Queen for centuries. Whoever believes enough to pick up the Winter Queen's staff will either become the Summer Queen, or, if she is not the chosen one, will be filled with winter's chill. Donia was the last girl to take the test and fail. She has been destined to a life with Keenan, whom she loves dearly, but can never truly be with. Her fate lies in the hands of any future mortal girl who takes the test. She will remain filled with winter's chill until someone takes her place - and worse yet, she has to discourage any takers from trusting Keenan.

Ash finally breaks the rules that she has learned and confesses all to Seth. Being her true friend, and secretly in love with her, he believes her without question. Together they set out to discover what Keenan wants with her.

As Ash is pulled further and further into the faery world, will her love for Seth be able to keep her "grounded"? (OK bad pun) Will she be able to fight the pull she feels whenever she is around Keenan? And how does the Donia and the future of both the mortals and the summer faeries rest with Aislinn?

Aislinn leaned in - almost toppling over as she did - but she didn't bite the strange fruit. Instead she whispered, "Why don't all the other faeries glow like you do?"

Keenan lowered his hand. "All the other what?"

"Faeries." She gestured around them, but it was as empty of faeries as it was of humans. (p180, Wicked Lovely)

I had never read a faery book before and I am hooked! Even though this is a young adult book, I found it very entertaining. It is the first book of a trilogy - following is Ink Exchange and then Fragile Eternity. Our library had a three week wait for Ink Exchange and I don't want to wait, so I have already ordered it off of Amazon. I hope to get it soon! Fragile Eternity I was lucky enough to get as an ARC.

Visit these blogs for other reviews of this book:
Bloody Bad Book Blog
Dear Author
Juiciliciousss Reviews

Where are You? 4-7-2009

I am on my currently relaxing on Seth's couch while he tries to make a concoction so that he can see the faeries that I see. I am trying to stay calm, as I have agreed to go to a carnival with Keenan, a faery. He does not know that I know he is a faery though. I am trying to find out what they want with me!

Where is your reading taking you? Stop over at Adventure in Reading and share!

The Friday 56 3-13-2009

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

From Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr -
(Isn't that a beautiful cover!)

He saw her!

Great sentence huh! LOL I did get the opportunity to read before and after this sentence and I can't wait until this book comes up in my rotation to read!