Monday, August 27, 2012

Review: Monstrous Beauty

Elizabeth Fama
Paranormal Young Adult
304 pages
Farrar, Strous and Giroux
Available September 4th
Received from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.


MY THOUGHTS
As the title suggests, Monstrous Beauty is a story that skates a razor’s edge between horror and hope as well as pain and promise, making our shoulders tense as the weight of a tragic history that repeats itself again and again settles on them. Ms. Fama does an outstanding job of depicting the past and present as they unfold in alternating chapters, mistakes made during Syrenka's long life running parallel to the mistakes Hester is currently headed toward to keep us wondering how these two parallel lines are going to eventually curve to bring us full circle. Thanks to our glimpses of the past, we remain one step of Hester in the present, our knowledge of a link she’s missing heightening the tension as we wait with all our senses on alert for her to right the wrongs a hundred and forty years in the making.

While the mystery surrounding Hester’s connection to mermaid Syrenka and her ill-fated relationship with a young man named Ezra is stunningly complex and layered with years of sorrow and suffering, Hester herself is someone we never really get to know. Far more plot-driven than character-driven, this tale wraps us up in a century and a half of murder and sacrifice, spinning an epically woeful story that dances around the edges of our hearts without ever wading into the messy center. We feel for Hester and the plight of everyone involved in Syrenka’s catastrophic cycle of misfortune, but we view her with a sense of detachment, essentially seeing her as a stranger throughout instead of someone we grow to know on a variety of levels by the time we reach the last page.

The connection between the events of 1873 and those happening in the present is beautifully drawn, the intricacies of the lives of the women in Hester’s family detailed in all their grim glory to paint a mournful picture of love and loss, however, we never quite fully understand why Hester is the chosen generation to break the cycle. There’s a 140 year gap between Syrenka and Hester, and we can’t help but question why not one of the women who came before Hester was able to connect the jagged pieces of their broken family history. Our curiosity, while brilliantly satisfied in some areas, is left unattended with regard to our heroine, reinforcing our feelings of character disconnect as we wonder what makes Hester so very special.

Due to a few scenes of rather brutal violence and a brief but disturbing instance of rape – the price for life in Syrenka’s world one that must be paid in flesh and blood – Monstrous Beauty is recommended for older YA audiences. Overall, this tale is a dark one, intriguing us with a century-spanning mystery even though a deep and memorable connection to young Hester never fully forms.

Rating: 3.5/5

40 comments:

  1. I'm not sure if I will like this one or not. I think I tend to like character driven books more but I guess its not always the case. I guess what I have heard so far about it has me feeling unsure. Murderer and sacrifice does sound interesting though.

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    1. It was a bit tricky to get into for me, a lot of the violent things happen in the beginning and I was just unprepared for them. Once I got past them though, I did enjoy trying to figure out what connected Hester and Syrenka.

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  2. I'm with Candace here, I am also not sure if this will be a book for me. While I do like dark stories, this story seems too complete to completely get lost in this one. Also, I am also more character than plot driven, and in case I cannot completely love the characters the plot must be able to woe me over completely.

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    1. You know I'm more into character-driven stories as well, so I was missing that connection to Hester in this book. Still, it was well written and complex enough to keep things interesting without thoroughly confusing me:)

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  3. I've been looking forward to this one - I'm not sure what it is that intrigues me so, but I am definitely more curious about this one than I've ever been with a mermaid book before. I think it's the century-spanning mystery and the alternating past and present connecting chapters, which I am a sucker for in books. I am sort of okay with plot-driven books, but obviously I prefer if both plot and characters are done well, so that's too bad. This is the first review I've read for this one so I appreciate the descriptive insight into it - I still want to read it, but I don't think I'll make it a priority at the moment.

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    1. I really liked that we switched back and forth between the present and the past, I thought it was really well done and it kept me on the edge of my seat:) I could have done without some of the violence though, it kind of threw me off balance in the beginning.

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  4. I've seen this book on Goodreads, but I never paid much heed to the synopsis. But now that I have, oh, it does sound very much intriguing and dark. Too bad you couldn't connect with Hester though. Great review, Jenny! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :]

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    1. I wanted a little more from Hester - some reason why she was the one to put things together instead of any of her ancestors. If you like books a little darker and more somber though, it's a quality read:)

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  5. I never read a mermaid story (well, except for Paranormalcy which isn't really. It just featured a mermaid. Little Mermaid, of course, is a different matter altogether) Not that I don't like them but I never saw one that captured my interest. But this sounds really epic. Despite how unrelatable the Hester is, I think I'll pick it up if only for the complex plot. Gotta love those =))

    Absolutely beautiful review, Jenny!

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    1. I really enjoyed the mystery in this one Gellie! Syrenka's life was difficult, and I definitely wanted to learn the truth of what happened to her:)

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  6. I'm usually not a fan of dark and serious books, not to mention the fact that I usually go for the character-driven ones as well, but I'm just SO insanely curious about the plot! It sounds incredibly complex and the way it's told through alternating time-frames? Ahh, NEED. I'm really glad that you enjoyed it, even if the characters seemed kind of distant. Because I think maybe in this case, the plot itself might be enough to override the characters faults for me x) Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jenny!

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    1. I think the plot was brilliant, I was super impressed with all the different threads she managed to pull together in the end. The violent beginning sent me reeling just a touch, I wasn't quite ready for it, and it just left me a little wobbly for the rest of the book.

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  7. I'm glad you mostly enjoyed this. The dark tone of it sat well with me, but I do agree that there wasn't a great connection with Hester. I felt far more drawn to Syrenka myself. Beautiful review as always, Jenny! :)

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    1. I agree - I was much more invested in Syrenka's parts of the story than Hester's. I just wanted to know more about her, and the relationship with her best friend seemed important as I was reading, but then it went nowhere and I was all confused.

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  8. It sounds like it was a mostly enjoyable read! I don't think it would work for me but it does sound like it was a good read!

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    1. If you're in the mood for a more melancholy read, pick this one up for sure. I did have to go on a HEA book kick after it though. And I felt the need to watch lots of Disney movies:)

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  9. I am curious about this one, but I am hesitant because I can't get into mermaid stories at all. I fail miserably every time. Plus, this one sounds pretty dark. I may hold off, but thanks for the great review as always!

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    1. I haven't had much luck with mermaid stories either, though I enjoyed Of Poseidon quite a bit. This one was just a bit of a downer!

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  10. I have an ARC of this book. After your review, I'm rather curious to see if I'd like it or not. It seems to be kind of a toss up. I like dark and I like mystery, but not connecting to the main character is not necessarily a good thing.

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    1. I'm interested to see what you think too! We can have a chat about things when you're done:)

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  11. Odd...Yeah, I'd be all, what's with the gap in the timeline?, but then again, I think unexplained phenomenons like this have become the fashion, for lack of a better word.

    Very thoughtful review, Jenny. I like dark stories that make me uncomfortable. And, I wish mermaids intrigued me more, but I just can't get excited about them, so I think I'll be skipping this one.

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  12. I just added this one to the TBR...I keep trying to read Mermaid books...and sadly I just cant get into them, but I was hoping due to its darker themes I might be able to get into it.....:) Do you think I would I like it????

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  13. The disconnect to the character sounds a bit troubling, but the plot itself sounds fascinating. I think I'll wait it out and see if my library gets this one :)

    Great review, Jenny!

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  14. *sigh* Your reviews are always so eloquent and well-written, Jenny. :) I can't believe it, you must be the fourth astute reviewer who gave this novel at least four stars! I usually tend to stay away from mermaid books (I've had very, VERY bad experiences with them) except Monstrous Beauty sounds like a book I will adore. :) I can never resist a dark, haunting and beautiful tale...

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  15. I might have a hard time connecting to this one if the character development takes a back seat...plus for some reason...mer people just don't call out to me...

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  16. I've been trying to read more Mermaid books recently, and this one has really caught my eye for some reason. The plot for Monstrous Beauty sounds very interesting. Thanks for your brilliant review, Jenny. :) xxx

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  17. I really enjoyed this one too. I love the darkness within. And while I also wondered why the others didn't also have the chance to correct things, but I also wondered if it was more a question of nature vs. nurture. Like thinks in Hester's life worked to benefit her toward what happened. Of course, I'm probably just over thinking it. :)

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  18. I agree that Hester's story paled in comparison to Syrenka's, Jenny. Still, I'm glad you liked this one overall. It's so dark and disturbing that I'm always sort of nervous when friends read it!

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  19. I remember reading this blurb, but I think I saw another cover..hm

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  20. After seeing lots of positive reviews for this one, I'm really looking forward to reading this because I feel like I might finally fall in love with a mermaid novel. Other than The Vicious Deep, they've all been duds so far. It's too bad that you never formed a connection with Hester though.

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  21. I have not read too many books about mermaids so I am definitely interested in trying this one. The mystery seems interesting and it sounds like a very unique novel. Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear you enjoyed it :-)

    SeeitORreadit


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  22. I've heard so many amazing things about this book! While I wish it was more character-driven opposed to plot-driven, I love how interesting and unique it sounds! I have yet to read a mermaid book, so I definitely need to get started with this one ASAP! :) Wonderful, wonderful review, Jenny! :D

    ~Keertana
    Ivy Book Bindings

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  23. I really like how mysterious this books seems. I love mermaid books but I haven't read a good one in awhile. Maybe this will be it! :) Fantastic review Jenny!

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  24. Jenny, I wished you liked it more. I loved the plot. The back history to the story is what I liked the most. Thanks for being honest and for sharing!

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  25. It's a pity we don't get to know Hester that well...but it seems like that most (or actually everyone!) agrees that the alternating chapters depicting the past and present was done really well! I can't wait to read this<3 Wonderful review Jenny! :)

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  26. OH I just loved this book! I read it and just couldn't believe that I initially thought it was another mermaid book because of the original cover (like most people did) when really the plot is much more complex and captivating than just another mermaid book. The ghosts and the mystery and everything weaving together just blew me away. And I ADORE the new cover so much. Loved it.

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  27. Jenny I didn't think this was a book for me before, but even more so now after reading your review. I don't like stories where I can't connect well with the characters. Thank you for your helpful and lovely review. :)

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  28. I'm reading this one right now. I'm actually enjoying it, but then I've just started it. I do like the way she tells the story one chapter in the present one in the past.

    Heather

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  29. It's really weird that with a complex plot, you'd think you would get more character analysis. This one is a bit tricky. While I love an intricate and well done plot, I do need memorable characters to help navigate me through the story. I'm putting this one on my "maybe list" and see if I can find more reviews and opinions on this one.

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