Friday, June 14, 2013

**REVIEW** Nameless by Lili St. Crow




When Camille was six years old, she was discovered alone in the snow by Enrico Vultusino, godfather of the Seven—the powerful Families that rule magic-ridden New Haven. Papa Vultusino adopted the mute, scarred child, naming her after his dead wife and raising her in luxury on Haven Hill alongside his own son, Nico.

Now Cami is turning sixteen. She’s no longer mute, though she keeps her faded scars hidden under her school uniform, and though she opens up only to her two best friends, Ruby and Ellie, and to Nico, who has become more than a brother to her. But even though Cami is a pampered Vultusino heiress, she knows that she is not really Family. Unlike them, she is a mortal with a past that lies buried in trauma. And it’s not until she meets the mysterious Tor, who reveals scars of his own, that Cami begins to uncover the secrets of her birth…to find out where she comes from and why her past is threatening her now.
Release Date:  April 4, 2013
Published By:  Razorbill
Review Copy: Hardcover, 328 pages
**purchased

Review

  Where to even start with this one.  This was nothing like I had expected but somehow it was more than I wanted.  It wasn't a typical retelling but that isn't uncommon these days and is something that you probably hear each time you read a review on a new twist of a classic.  Thing is with this one it was dark, beautifully complex and an entirely new world of Snow White... okay I know you have heard that but this one really was different.

  There is no way to properly describe the world in this read or there could be but not one that I could grasp and describe without giving some key things away.  Maybe it was the fact that I had to pay a serious amount of attention to keep everything in order... or maybe it was the fact that I was in too deep trying to figure out the truth.  One thing I can tell you is that many thing exist in this world but the are all separate and unique.   No matter how you look at it the complex, dark and addictive story.  The writing itself was filled with beauty and madness and though I know that is the name of the series it also seemed to be the way it was written.

  Cami the main character lives in a world that is not her own.  Actually she doesn't know where she came from, who she really is and why she has no memory of these things.  It's hard to say exactly how I felt about Cami but most of the time I enjoyed her.  Though she is a smart girl I found she often didn't really use her smarts.  She walked into situations that if she had of thought it through she either wouldn't have been in as much danger.  I will admit that if I had the twisted nightmares that this girl had and wasn't sure who you could share it with (no one else is like you) then I guess I would do what it takes to figure it out without hurting those around me.

  Truth be told I'm not sure there was really a love triangle...  There was two guys and I had a crush on both of them but one guy wasn't really an option.  Not to mention that she did love Nico and I would be kidding myself if I said I didn't too.  Nico may not be ready to take the head of the family or calm down but his need/want to protect Cami felt genuine.  That's not to say that there wasn't times that I didn't want to smack him but he was the one that I placed my bets on.

  St. Crow took so many supernatural elements and pulled them together and yet she didn't fullout say this book has vampires or witches or anything...  She left that up to you and do I believe they were some variations of already popular things?  Absolutely.  It's really something of talent because it keeps you guessing and wondering if they are or they aren't and even if they are it is a unique take.  Though the writing may be a little confusing or complex for some if you can hang in there and grab the story this is a great read.  I look forward to the next book in the series and am immensely curious or at least I hope there is more! 

Quotes 
The first few steps went by in a rush, and Cami let out a half-whistle of relief.  Ruby knew she hated the stairs, but she was always of the opinion that if you hated something, you just had to run right through it.  Ellie was more of the sneak-up-and-hit-it-with-a-shovel persuasion. 

The sound coming from Nico's chest was a deep thrumming.  He twisted the wooden man's hand aside, and Cami hit the bar because he had shouldered her aside.

"You were dead!" the brown man screamed again.  "Dead dead dead.  She ate the heart!  She ate theeeeeeee heaaaaaart!"

They worship Her, and She laughs, and the gleam is a glass knife, wicked and sharp.  It flashes down, held in a muscled, tanned had, a child's scream is cut short, and Her laughter, Her laughter, it is bells and cruel beauty--

You never wanted to crowd the Unbreathing.  they didn't see things the way the mortal living did, and sometimes they... did things.

4 comments:

  1. I've seen this book but I didn't know what it was about. I just knew I loved the cover. Now I am definitely interested in reading it! Great review!

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  2. Two things first. One, that cover is stunning, and I love it. I like the reference to Snow, and the darkness that it portrays. And two, I have been seriously anticipating this book for a long time now. I loved Lili's Strange Angels series.
    Yours is the first review that I have read for it, and I am glad that it was the first. It made me happy, and I think that I can go into this one with some peace of mind that I will be in for a good story. And I really like that it is a dark retelling. Always a good thing. Like Splintered by A.G Howard!

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  3. Oooh! It sounds really good, I love reedlings and Snow White is one of my favorite childhood stories :) glad to hear this one was a well done story with dark and complex themes ;) great review sweetie!

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  4. This sounds really good and I could go very something very different and complex and dark. I want to read this book even more now. Great review!

    Vyki @ On The Shelf

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