Sunday, February 26, 2012

Guest Review: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Prior to reading Graveminder, I’d already read Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series, which I really enjoyed. She has a beautiful writing style, one that’s straightforward, yet compelling. Graveminder is set in a completely different world from Wicked Lovely. Where instead of faeries, they have to worry about the dead being put properly to rest....and you don’t really want to see what happens when they aren’t, but hey, without that...there wouldn’t be a story, would there? :P

I don’t read many books that could be categorized as horror, but with Graveminder, while it was a darker story, I never once categorized it as being “horrific.” It isn’t over-the-top or gratuitous, which “horror” often is in mind, although maybe that’s just the movies. :P Anyway, I think that even people who aren’t big fans of horror would still like this one. Personally, I prefer to watch my horror movies rather than read about them, but with Graveminder, I really didn’t mind reading about it. Not only is Graveminder full of action and darker aspects that intrigue the reader, it’s also got a complicated romance which keeps it from getting too dark.

I liked getting to read Bek’s story. She was a fantastic narrator, and I really liked her. She was strong, independent, and while she may have protested too much at times, I loved how dedicated she was to Maylene, especially since they weren’t actual blood relatives. I also loved Byron, the undertaker. ;) They had some amazing chemistry, and the way their past was revealed was convoluted and given to the reader in parts, which I actually really enjoyed. I liked that there was some mystery in their past, and it kept me compelled with the romance aspect. There was also an element of mystery surrounding the graveminding aspect. It took a while for the truth of it to be revealed, for Bek to figure out what she doing...and also to figure out how Maylene, her grandmother, was killed, and the most convoluted and mysterious part of it all...who was the one responsible for it.

The most fascinating aspect of the story for me, aside from the romance (which I’m always a sucker for), was the history of the Graveminders and Undertakers. I liked learning about them, Mr.D, and the tradition behind why they did their duties, and the intricacies that were involved between the Graveminders and Undertakers. I’d definitely read another book about Graveminders and Undertakers just so that I could learn some more. :P

Overall, Graveminder is a fabulous story that will keep you on your toes, and while it differs from Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series, I think that fans that enjoyed the series will also enjoy this one. If you’re a fan of original supernatural and paranormal stories, you’ll love this one, and it will definitely pique your interest if you like reading about reinventions of the afterlife.


Burning.x.Impossibly.x.Bright
This book was reviewed by Ambur from Burning Impossibly Bright- you can check out more of her awesome book reviews here. Thanks Ambur, this sounds like a creepy and exciting story, and I'm always a sucker for a good romance too :)

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for hosting me today, Zoë! :D And, it is definitely a creepy and exciting story. Hopefully you'll get the chance/time to read it eventually, I think you'd like it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Zoe, new to your blog. :) And Ambur! I cannot wait to read this book. Your review was great!

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Ambur- I really want to read it. So many books... sigh.

    @Chrystal- thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy the reviews here, even the ones Ambur didn't write ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. @Chrystal: Hey! :D Thanks, Zoë's reviews are pretty awesome, too...check out her Blood Red Road one...that one made me even want to read it, and I'd pretty much written that book off as one I wouldn't like! :D

    @Zoë: Hopefully you will someday, even if it takes you a while. :) Don't I know it...sigh squared.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm still not sure you'd like it, but it is awesome. Probably my favourite post-apocalyptic YA I've read.

      And Graveminder is on my massive list! So it'll happen someday :)

      Delete
    2. Hmmm...I will read an excerpt first, and if I can't find one I'll get it from the library and just read the first bit to see. :) I'm not really sure either. lol Well that's good. :)

      haha my to-read list is pretty massive, too! Good to hear. ;D

      Delete
    3. See and an excerpt is like the worst thing you can do with this book, because it totally took me 50 pages to get used to the dialect. Which would usually be way too long for a book, but that's really only 10% of the book. And the other 90%, once you are used to it, are awesome.

      Delete
    4. (but yes, library not buy. Just because it's awesome, doesn't mean it's still not in a style you hate. :P)

      Delete
    5. hmmm that's true, I don't know if I'm willing to give it 50 pages though. :P

      Very true! :P

      Delete
  5. I found Melissa Marr's Graveminder a compelling read.
    Well paced and plotted, Graveminder tells the story of a contemporary small town that is both protected and threatened by a metaphysical pact made by town residents hundreds of years before. Like some of the best fiction of this type (think Stephen King, Ray Bradbury and Shirley Jackson), Graveminder captures the reader's sympathy with the comfortably common details of small town life and grabs the reader's attention with chilling perversions of the same.
    Populated with characters both believable and sympathetic, Graveminder explores familiar territory with fresh eyes, examining the interplay of fate and free will, the nature of love and duty, and the essence of family ties, both in blood and in choice.
    While Graveminder works perfectly well as a stand-alone novel, Marr has created in it a rich well of material from which she could draw numerous sequels. And I would be happy to read them.

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make my day!