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Book Review: Made For You by Melissa Marr

Made For You by Melissa Marr

HarperCollins, 2014

ISBN-13: 978-0062011190

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook download.

 

Melissa Marr’s latest is the magic-light tale of Eva, a southern princess (child of the elite in the tiny town of Jessup, NC) who after being struck by a car and left for dead finds herself with the unpredictable ability to read the deaths of people who touch her.

Even more disturbing is how many of her friends die at the hands of a serial killer, a maniac that has begun leaving messages through flowers and carved into the flesh of his victims.

The whole premise of Eva being a genteel, popular, universally loved southern lady almost ruins this book. But in the chapters where readers find themselves in Eva’s head (which is most of them) we learn she finds it just as repressive and ridiculous as I did when I read the back cover. Eva feels trapped by societal expectations, a note that rings stronger when a psycho-serial killer starts sending her messages.

Made for You is a great introductory horror novel for teens. There’s a lot of the creepy, stalky, murdery bits with stronger drawn characters. There is horror and gore here, but without the loving descriptions often found in adult novels. Definitely recommended for teen audiences, especially ones who already enjoy Marr’s other series.

Contains: sexual language, violence, murder

Reviewed by Michele Lee

Editor’s Note: This review appeared previously at our partner blog on YA fiction, Reading Bites.

Help a Reader Out: The Girl with the Demon Tattoo

A mystery keyword searcher is looking for:

a book about a girl called leslie who likes tattoos and falls in love with a demon

I love it when I know the answer! The book is Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr, the second book in her Wicked Lovely series. It’s a young adult urban fantasy series, but lovers of urban fantasy and dark fantasy of whatever age should really enjoy it. However, the tone is different than it is in Wicked Lovely. Ink Exchange is extremely dark and even horrifying, so readers looking for a standard paranormal romance with a happily-ever-after will probably prefer something else.

MonsterLibrarian.com’s Top Picks for 2011- Young Adult and Children’s Books

So here we are- part two of the Top Picks list for 2011.

Each book on the list below was reviewed in the past year, although not all the books were published in 2011. If the book made a Top Picks list in the past, it won’t be on this year’s list (Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson, was first reviewed in 2009 and made the list that year, so it’s not on this year’s list).

Books that made this list were chosen by our reviewers as exceptional examples of compelling writing, creativity, and original illustration or presentation. Many of them provided considerable food for thought as well as entertainment value. The choices were made only from books reviewed for the site, so there are many fine titles that do not appear here. The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for 2011, listed below, have not been ranked in any order(although I tried to list them alphabetically). We created lists for adult books, young adult books, and kids’ books. I previously posted the Top Picks for Adult Fiction in 2011. You’ll find the Top Picks booklists for young adults and children below. Enjoy!

Note for librarians and readers: As with all recommended reading lists, not all of The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for 2011 will be appropriate for or appreciated by every reader. Please take the time to check out reviews of these titles at MonsterLibrarian.com before making a decision about reading them or recommending them to others.

 

The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for Young Adults, 2011

A special mention goes to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs, chosen as a top pick by four different reviewers independently of each other.

 

Abarat series by Clive Barker (Abarat, Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War, and  Abarat: Absolute Midnight)

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires, Book 9) by Rachel Caine

Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely) by Melissa Marr

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace 1 by Alexander Gordon Smith

Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Nickel Plated by Aric Davis

Red Moon Rising by Peter Moore

Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls) by Maggie Stiefvater

Skulls by Tim Marquitz

Subject Seven by James A. Moore

Teeth: Vampire Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.

The Dead (An Enemy Novel) by Charlie Higson

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

 

 

The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for Kids, 2011

A special mention goes to Crooked Hills: Book One by Cullen Bunn, reviewed independently by two different reviewers and highly recommended by both.

 

Crooked Hills by Cullen Bunn

Dragonbreath series, books 1-3, by Ursula Vernon (Dragonbreath,

Attack of the Ninja Frogs,

Curse of the Were-wiener

)

Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror edited by R.L. Stine

Monster and Me (Monster and Me) by Robert Marsh

Scary School by Derek the Ghost

Little Goblins Ten by Pamela Jane, illustrated by Jane Manning

The Island of the Skog by Steven Kellogg

The Shadows: The Books of Elsewhere: Volume 1 by Jacqueline West