This week's picks:
Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson
Goodreads' description:
"A sweeping Gothic thriller based on the spine-chilling "Bluebeard" fairytale.
17-year-old Sophia Petheram has been sheltered by her doting family all her life, until the day her father dies. It's 1855, and with no money and few options, she goes to live with her guardian, the mysterious Bernard de Cressac, at the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey in Mississippi.
Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it's as if thread by thread, a silken net is woven around her. And when she begins glimpsing the ghosts of his former wives (all with hair as red as her own) in the forgotten corners and dark hallways of the Abbey, Sophie knows she's in de Cressac's trap.
With enchanting romance, chilling suspense, and dashes of the supernatural, Strands of Bronze and Gold is a compulsively-readable debut."
It's Gothic! And it's a fairy tale retelling! Okay, Bluebeard is certainly not my favourite fairy tale (um, is it anybody's???) but I don't think it's been retold yet in YA. It's one of the more overtly disturbing fairy tales, but I'm hoping this retelling might give the story depth and appeal that the original doesn't have. *crosses fingers*
The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle
Goodreads' description:
"If your home was the last safe place on earth, would you let a stranger in?
In this captivating thriller, an Amish settlement is the last safe haven in a world plagued by an unspeakable horror…
Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers are free to experience non-Amish culture before officially joining the church. But before Rumspringa arrives, Katie’s safe world starts to crumble. It begins with a fiery helicopter crash in the cornfields, followed by rumors of massive unrest and the disappearance of huge numbers of people all over the world. Something is out there...and it is making a killing.
Unsure why they haven’t yet been attacked, the Amish Elders make a decree: No one goes outside their community, and no one is allowed in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man lying just outside the boundary of their land, she can’t leave him to die. She refuses to submit to the Elder’s rule and secretly brings the stranger into her community—but what else is she bringing in with him?"
Apparently I'm going for theme of creepy in my WoW picks this week! I'm interested to see how the Amish culture is incorporated into what sounds like some kind of apocalyptic YA.
What books are you waiting for?
I love fairytale retellings too! Strands of Bronze and Gold looks amazing.
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Both of these sound like interesting reads!
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Very interesting picks. As for Bluebeard in 'recent' YA, I think you're probably right. For farther back in time, Gregory Frost did a rendition that could probably be deemed 'YA' - though it was very disturbing at that.
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Bluebeard in YA? I can NOT wait to see how that is done. The cover caught my attention when I was flipping through so I stopped to read the synopsis and YES. Must-read, going on my wishlist as we speak. Great pick!
ReplyDeleteI love the look of Strands of Bronze and Gold especially because I adore fairy tale retellings-this is a must-read for me of 2013!
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