Recent Reads: Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Format: Ebook for Review from Publisher. 
  
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Background: Velveteen is murdered by a man named Bonesaw-- now you are probably asking why I am already telling you this very important detail to the story -- well it is because we never actually see that part. We meet Velveteen (Velvet) in Purgatory after she is already well past dead and gone, she works for the Salvage team, going back to the Daylight (the living side) to return spirits to Purgatory. On one outing she brings back a spirit called Nick and they really hit it off, which is all well and good except that Purgatory is on the verge of destruction by a group called the Departurists who are trying to leave Purgatory to live new lives in the bodies of the currently living.

Review: So as many of you may know, it took me over a month to finish this book. Granted I have been in a reading slump but I found it very hard to relate to the characters, so reading was challenging for me. Velvet is interesting she is sarcastic and mean and very much a loner who tries to keep to herself and not show her true emotions to anyone, but i felt like she also wasn't a complete character, because even though the story is written from her point of view, she still seems to lack that emotion. And if I am in your head (so to speak) there should be more emotion. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the plot of this book, Purgatory was an awesome setting and a new frontier for YA books, it isn't a dystopian NYC or LA, it was Purgatory, limbo-- which equates to dystopia anyway. I found this very clever on Mr. Marks part.
I would have liked to enter before Velvet dies, but I can see where that may have made the book a lot longer in relation to the things occurring in Purgatory. On that note, I think the plot was very good, you have a romance brewing and you have all out chaos it was beautiful. So I did end up giving the book 4 stars.

I think if you are interested in the darker, macabre try stories this one will suit you, note that there are some very mushy teenage romance bits but overall the dark and disturbing are very well done. I was just looking for a little more teenage brooding... :/

Received this copy from Netgalley & Random House Children's Books in exchange for an Honest review. 

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