Marie Loves Books: fiction

The Vines by Christopher Rice
Release Date: October 21st, 2014
Genre: Adult Fiction > Paranormal
Source: NetGalley (Thank you NetGalley & 47north!)
Find It: Amazon || GoodReads || B&N
Summary:

The dark history of Spring House, a beautifully restored plantation mansion on the outskirts of New Orleans, has long been forgotten. But something sinister lurks beneath the soil of the old estate.

After heiress and current owner Caitlin Chaisson is witness to her husband's stunning betrayal at her birthday party, she tries to take her own life in the mansion's cherished gazebo. Instead, the blood she spills awakens dark forces in the ground below. Chaos ensues and by morning her husband has vanished without a trace and his mistress has gone mad.

Nova, daughter to Spring House's groundskeeper, has always suspected that something malevolent haunts the old place, and in the aftermath of the birthday party she enlists Caitlin's estranged best friend, Blake, to help her get to the bottom of it. The pair soon realizes that the vengeance enacted by this sinister and otherworldly force comes at a terrible price.

I'll admit, I was a bit scared going into this one. Only because... I mean, come on! His mother is Anne Rice! I was seriously preparing myself for the worst!

But the worst never really came.

This follows Caitlin who has just inherited a mansion and caught her husband cheating on her. In the bathroom upstairs. Did I mention it was her birthday? I mean, we don't know much about her husband or the tramp he's with at this point just that dude is doing some major no-no crap right now. Come on man, it's your wife's birthday. You gotta be kidding me! Not knowing what else to do (though I don't really remember why she didn't just bust in there and shank a beezy) she attempts to end her life out in the garden. Only problem is, the garden doesn't want her to die. But it does want her blood. Next thing we know, lover boy and skank girl are sneaking out into the shed. Guess the bathroom wasn't big enough (that's what she said)? And I suppose we can assume the garden can read minds of those who just had their blood licked cleaned because the vines wasted no time eliminating her husband replacing him with a very peculiar looking flower. And whore bag? Well she went bat sh*t stumbling out of the shed.

The rest of the story pretty much follows not just Catlin but the vines and their victims. It also follows Blake, Caitlin's use-to-be-BFF before they had a really bad falling out and Nova, the housekeepers daughter. Nova knows something is up, she's always suspected something off about the property but no one wanted to listen to her. No one until now. Blake and Nova team up trying to uncover the secrets of the mansion and what it is the garden actually wants and how far it will go to get what it wants.

While this read didn't scare me or creep me up and it provided a lot of information about slavery, fiction or not, I admit I really really enjoyed this read. I don't usually stick to adult fiction but this one was a pretty good read for a night in October.

I may or may not be looking into two other titles by Christopher Rice.

"I would like a... I would..."
Like a what? he wants to ask her. A Bible? A gun? A Valium?

The Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan
Release Date: Oct 4th, 2010
Details: 336 pages, hardcover
Series: No
Source: NetGalley
Summary (goodreads):
Lena has lived her whole life near the beach—walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves—the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching.

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf.

But her father – a former surfer himself – refuses to allow her to take lessons. After a near drowning in his past, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.

Yet something lures Lena to the water … an ancient, powerful magic. One morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman—with a silvery tail.

Nothing will keep Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove.

And soon … what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life …

Lena has lately been finding herself sleepwalking to the ocean, it's something she can't explain, something she isn't even aware of why it's happening. She's also been searching for something, but she doesn't know what... things start getting weird around her family, her dad and step mother are keeping secrets from her, and after passing out in her father's brand new work office... it seems like everyone knows something she doesn't. Lena lost her mom when she was younger and her dad remarried and they had a son together, one that Lena adores. She also has two best friends, one of which she's dating.

Lena catches a glimpse of what she thinks is a mermaid and from there her desire to learn how to surf grows stronger. She doesn't get why her dad doesn't surf anymore, when he was one of the best and she doesn't get why he doesn't want her surfing... but being the typical 16 year old, she does it behind his back anyway.

It's hard to tell you what I thought of this book without giving away the entire story, but I will say that Lena as a character before finding what she needed to find, irritated me. She was selfish, she was extremely rude to both her father and her step mother and the fact that she was doing something behind her dad's back that she knew would break his heart irritated me too. She was a total brat! About everything! I don't think I've had a character in a book irritate me so much. But after finding what she needed to find, her attitude changed and I'm glad for that, maybe it's what she needed to see what was really important to her.

I liked the the references to musicals, especially since the author mentioned Wicked. I think I squealed, called my husband and told him. I'm a huge huge HUGE Wicked fan! Oh I also told him about the Grease references, its one of my husband's favorite movies. So I thought that was awesome, you don't hear much talk about musicals! I also liked the world that was created for us, I liked the romance, I liked the stories of the past that her father told her. I don't really know how I feel about her final decision... I know why she made it, and I do think it was the right one to make, I thought the consequences for the choice was a bit harsh... and a part of me wonders what if she had made the opposite choice?

Can I just mention really quick that the cover is amazing?

Overall, I do think this is a great read.

Favorite Line:
"Oh Leen," he said. "There is no limit. Hey... that sounds like it should be a solgan, doesn't it? And you might as well prepare yourself. Drama club votes next week on which musical to put on. It's down to three: Brigadoon, Grease, and Guys and Dolls."
"Whoa," said Lena. "Those are really old!"
"Don't be ageist," said Kai. "They prefer the term 'classic'"
"Why not something like Wicked?"
"I dunno. Hey, how was your trip to the city?"
- pg 21