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Sunday, May 29, 2016

Book Review: Welcome to Sortilege Falls by Libby Heily


Welcome To Sortilege Falls
by Libby Heily
May 31st 2016
by Fire & Ice Young Adult Books
Paperback, 250 pages
Sixteen-year-old Grape Merriweather has just moved to Sortilege Falls and already she knows something isn't right. A small pack of teenage models, too beautiful for words, holds the town in their sway. The models have no plans on making Grape's life easy. But no matter how cruel they are to Grape and the other “Normals”, no one can stay angry with them for long.

Grape's life changes for the better, or so she thinks, when Mandy, the only “nice” model, befriends her. But that’s when the trouble truly begins. Mandy's friendship places Grape smack in the middle of a medical mystery that has the entire town on edge. One by one, the models fall ill from an incurable disease. Grape quickly realizes that the models' parents are hiding a secret, even as they watch their children die. To save her only friend, Grape will have to find the truth–and that means putting her life in danger.

The author's statement at the beginning of the book about being written "For all those who have ever been made to feel less than" gives you the flavor of this read. A "normal" in this case is someone who is NOT "georgeous, magnetic and rich". I assume the lesson in this book is to show that everyone has problems. That the grass is not always greener for those who seem to have it all. That definitely seems to be the case in the town of Sortilege falls.

The first few chapters had me looking forward to the play out in the life of Grape Merriweather (cool name but it sounded familiar to me?). Her mother, brother and she moved to Sortilege Falls after the death of her father. Hoping to fit in with other teens she finds making friends and being noticed is a lot harder than she thought it would be. And when she does make a friend she finds herself trying to solve the problem of a mysterious health issue that is claiming the lives of other teens in the community.

After the initial interest I thought there was a whole lot of time spent on the "beautiful" students and little time spent on getting to a recognizable point of the story. The last few chapters brought a little more clarity but for me it was too little too late. Trying to give no spoilers, I was a little depressed with the ending and thought the twist came out of left field.

This story didn't really need any magical theme to get the point across and in fact the "magical" parts seemed to muddy the waters. I was left with many questions such as: "What was with constant twisting of her ring?", "How did her brother obtain his ability to enter the 'tree'?", "What was the background and involvement with the "magic" of the parents of the 'models'"? The ending left me thinking this may become a series and perhaps some of the introductory background will be covered there.

This may be the author's first journey into the world of YA and urban fantasy so I will give her a little leeway because I thought her writing was well done. I just felt the story needed a little more development and redistribution of character emphasis.

Giving this 2 3/4 "reeling" sheep.


Jeanie G

About the Author:
I was born during a blizzard. I’m told it was pretty cool but I have no memory of that time. I grew up in two tiny towns in Virginia and spent most of my twenties moving around the US. I’ve lived in Virginia, Florida, Missouri, and Washington. I’ve settled down, for now, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

I’m a writer and improviser. I studied acting in college but spent more time rewriting lines than memorizing them. My first play, Fourth Wall, was produced my junior year. Since then, I’ve written several full length plays, one acts, and screenplays. I started writing fiction in my late twenties. Now, I focus mainly on novels but still dabble in theater.

Fun facts about me: There are none. I’m sorry to disappoint you so soon. But, I do love to read, write, and run. My hubby is my favorite person on earth. Dogs are my second favorite. All dogs. Know that. I love orange juice, especially when it’s mixed with club soda. Carbonation is better than alcohol. Jaws is my favorite movie. Everything I’ve said so far is true.

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