Guest Review from Erin: Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff
Hello! A review of Fiendish, Brenna Yovanoff's latest book! I was lucky enough this past summer to meet Brenna Yovanoff, along with Maggie Stiefvate and Tessa Gratton! Unfortunately, I had not read her books then, so I didn't fully get to appreciate her being there, but she was so sweet and kind nonetheless! She was also nice enough to give me some of her bookmarks as well as tell me about her books, including Fiendish! And now...for the review...!
From Goodreads:
Clementine DeVore spent ten years trapped in a cellar, pinned down by willow roots, silenced and forgotten.
Now she’s out and determined to uncover who put her in that cellar and why.
When Clementine was a child, dangerous and inexplicable things started happening in New South Bend. The townsfolk blamed the fiendish people out in the Willows and burned their homes to the ground. But magic kept Clementine alive, walled up in the cellar for ten years, until a boy named Fisher sets her free. Back in the world, Clementine sets out to discover what happened all those years ago. But the truth gets muddled in her dangerous attraction to Fisher, the politics of New South Bend, and the Hollow, a fickle and terrifying place that seems increasingly temperamental ever since Clementine reemerged.
Erin's Thoughts:
WOW! Initially, I was a bit wary about reading this book because I know that Brenna Yovanoff typically writes these creepy, horror story type books. Not that I have anything against stuff like that, but it's just something that I thought about going into the book. I actually bought this on a whim when I was browsing through Barnes and Noble and happened to see this book. The cover immediately caught my attention (not to mention Brenna Yovanoff), so I read the book flap, and it sounded so awesome I just had to buy it.
And i know that buying books on a whim doesn't always work out well (you know, where it feels like you've wasted your money), but luckily, in this case, Fiendish was AMAZING!! It was one of those books that took me completely by surprise! I had no expectations of whether it would be good or bad or in between going into the book and I think that worked out very well. I think I read it in one sitting!! It was that good!
Fiendish has a very interesting premise. It has this unique magic that is unlike other books I've read. It's not like witch magic or saying certain spells or anything, but neither does it seem to be something you can clearly control. And I liked that because it was as if the magic was just inherent to the characters, just part of them. It was very natural and just there. I don't know if I'm making sense, but...Hopefully at least a little?
There is also a feud going along between the people with magic and people without magic that creates the main conflict in the story. While this is a common storyline, the world is very much it's own. It has a very mid-westerny/southerny feel and I loved the small-town atmosphere of it. And it's really cool because even though it's based in a contemporary place, there's a really great blend of the magical and the real.
Overall Rating:
From Goodreads:
Clementine DeVore spent ten years trapped in a cellar, pinned down by willow roots, silenced and forgotten.
Now she’s out and determined to uncover who put her in that cellar and why.
When Clementine was a child, dangerous and inexplicable things started happening in New South Bend. The townsfolk blamed the fiendish people out in the Willows and burned their homes to the ground. But magic kept Clementine alive, walled up in the cellar for ten years, until a boy named Fisher sets her free. Back in the world, Clementine sets out to discover what happened all those years ago. But the truth gets muddled in her dangerous attraction to Fisher, the politics of New South Bend, and the Hollow, a fickle and terrifying place that seems increasingly temperamental ever since Clementine reemerged.
Erin's Thoughts:
WOW! Initially, I was a bit wary about reading this book because I know that Brenna Yovanoff typically writes these creepy, horror story type books. Not that I have anything against stuff like that, but it's just something that I thought about going into the book. I actually bought this on a whim when I was browsing through Barnes and Noble and happened to see this book. The cover immediately caught my attention (not to mention Brenna Yovanoff), so I read the book flap, and it sounded so awesome I just had to buy it.
And i know that buying books on a whim doesn't always work out well (you know, where it feels like you've wasted your money), but luckily, in this case, Fiendish was AMAZING!! It was one of those books that took me completely by surprise! I had no expectations of whether it would be good or bad or in between going into the book and I think that worked out very well. I think I read it in one sitting!! It was that good!
Fiendish has a very interesting premise. It has this unique magic that is unlike other books I've read. It's not like witch magic or saying certain spells or anything, but neither does it seem to be something you can clearly control. And I liked that because it was as if the magic was just inherent to the characters, just part of them. It was very natural and just there. I don't know if I'm making sense, but...Hopefully at least a little?
There is also a feud going along between the people with magic and people without magic that creates the main conflict in the story. While this is a common storyline, the world is very much it's own. It has a very mid-westerny/southerny feel and I loved the small-town atmosphere of it. And it's really cool because even though it's based in a contemporary place, there's a really great blend of the magical and the real.
Overall Rating:
It was so good that I immediately bought the rest of Brenna Yovanoff's books in hardback (except The Replacement, which was out of stock, but I plan to buy it very soon) and I am so excited to read them! *SIGH* I am just so in love with Fiendish and Brenna Yovanoff! I highly suggest this book and since Halloween is coming up, what better time to read them, right?? But definitely give this book a try and if you do, I hope you end up loving it as much as I do!! Yay! Thanks for reading!!!
Erin @The Romance Bookie
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