Series:
Messenger of Fear (bk. 2)
Genera(s):
Paranormal/Horror
Subjects:
supernatural, good vs. evil, apprentices, games, death, fear, bullying
Setting: Various
places, including Iowa and Nashville, TN
POV/Tense: 1st
person POV, past tense: Mara
Age/Grade
Level: Teen
Length: 389
pgs.
HC/PB:
Hardcover
List Price:
$17.99
Publisher:
HarperTeen: Katherine Tegan
Summary/
product description:
“Mara has already witnessed more evil as the Messenger’s apprentice than most people
do in their lifetime, but the games continue.
The
Messenger leads Mara to the funeral of a Muslim boy named Aimal, who died
standing up for his people, and then to an abandoned store, where they discover
Graciella, a girl battling addiction. The all-knowing Messenger recognizes that
they are victims of heinous crimes. Mara and Messenger will find the
wicked—those who act out of selfishness and greed, and others who become
violent because of prejudice and hate.
But
Mara and Messenger pay a price too. For every person who is offered justice,
they will wear a tattoo that symbolizes the heart of the crime. And as Mara
delves deeper into her harsh reality, she is suprirsed to realize that part of
her is drawn to the sometimes compassionate Messenger. In spite of all the
terror she and Messenger inflict, Mara will discover that caring in this world
is the hardest part of all.
The
second book in New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant’s Messenger of
Fear series, The Tattooed Heart combines fantasy with real-world horror stories
to create a satisfying conclusion.”
My Review: The Tattooed Heart is the sequel to The
Messenger of Fear. Mara is still the Messenger’s apprentice. She’s viewing
people’s lives, finding the ones who are causing pain and punishing them.
There’s a racist jerk that is mean to a Muslim girl and there’s people who
screwed over a girl who writes country song and made her become a drug addict.
The Messenger of Fear’s purpose is to punish those who spread hate and cause
pain and get away with it.
This series has
been quite unique. The Messenger is kind of like an angel or the Ghost of
Christmas Past & Future in a way. He’s not the only Messenger. There’s a
lot of them and they take on apprentices. He’s very mysterious and doesn’t talk
about his past except the girl named Ariadne who he loved and hurt. Mara is
attracted to him, but there isn’t much romance. They don’t fall in love because
Ariadne had his heart.
I really
enjoyed the country music drama part. It made me think of the show Nashville on
ABC. Graciella is kind of like Scarlet O’Conner and gets screw over selling her
songs to a singer named Nicolet, who’s like Juliet Barnes and her manager who’s
like Jeff Fordam. Then Graciella ends up as a hooker and does drugs. That’s awful.
This series is
really Grant’s way of trying to say that bullying and racism are bad. It’s got
a great message and it’s also very dark and fantastical. This story was longer
than the previous book and still felt like it was lacking some substance. I
enjoyed it. It wasn’t hard or boring, but something felt missing and I guess
that’s the romance. We did get to see some demons though. I’m excited for the
final book. The description misled me to believe that this was the final book,
but I’m glad it’s not. I want to see Mara become a Messenger herself.
Cover Art
Review: Reminds me of the Grisha Trilogy cover, but different artist.
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