Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

Publication Date: July 1^st, 2014

Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls (bk. 4) or a Standalone Spin Off/Companion

Genera(s): Contemporary/Paranormal Romance

Subjects: werewolves, musicians, reality shows, fame, love

Setting: Los Angeles, California, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, and the greater L.A. area

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV past tense, rotating between Cole and Isabel 

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 357 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $18.99

Publisher: Scholastic

Summary/ product description: “A standalone companion book to the internationally bestselling Shiver Trilogy.

Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole's story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole's darkest secret -- his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel's life. Can this sinner be saved?”

My Review:  Sinner is a fun, exciting companion/spin-off to the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. It rotates between Cole and Isabel POVs and is set in L.A. A far cry from Minnesota where the previous books took place. I enjoyed the book thoroughly, but it was nothing like I expected. I loved it, but was slightly disappointed because it was so different from Shiver, Linger and Forever. This book still deserves 5 stars. I love the characters so much and it’s great that Isabel and Cole get their own book about only their relationship.

Cole seems as sunny and exciting as his new L.A. home. He’s always saying and doing the craziest things. Befriending his driver, Leon. Firing the guitarist and bassist that Baby hired for him. Using phrases that normal people wouldn’t use in conversation. Cole’s great at improvising and acting. He can also come up with lyrics out of pretty much anything. Cole is so different from Sam in Shiver. He craves attention and the crowd. I love his narration. He’s like the most interesting guy in the world. He’s got charisma, humor, hotness and depth.

Isabel is very angry and doesn’t seem to care about anything. She’s logical and icy. She wants to be a doctor. She’s working at a clothing store, and taking a CNA class. She’s living with her mom, Aunt Lauren and cousin Sofia, who loves to cook for others. She misses Cole, and Cole surprises her at work with his presence. Isabel’s life has been pretty complicated too. Her brother was a werewolf and he was killed back in Minnesota. Her parents are breaking up. He cousin keeps trying to do stuff for her, but Isabel yells at her. Cole and Isabel try to do stuff together, but sometimes the cameras get in the way and they have to find private places, like the bathroom, to talk.

Sinner is less focus of the werewolf stuff and more focused on Cole’s return to fame and him relationship with Isabel. The story is about Cole dealing with being famous again and making an album. This book has barely any paranormal stuff. Shifting is more like Cole’s addiction since he doesn’t do drugs or drink anymore. Cole become part of a web reality show ran by a lady named Baby who loves to ruin the lives of her subjects. She wants him to look like a mess for good TV. Cole’s running around, doing the crazy thing she suggests. Things that rock stars are supposed to do, and things that someone like Cole St. Clare would do.

Sinner is nothing like you’d expect it to, and everything you never knew you’d want. If this was a contemporary book in which the shapeshifting was replaced with drug using, I still would love the book because it’s written that well. Fame games and fans. Rockstars, music, and all kinds of crazy. I recommend it to fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s other books. Also if you liked Audrey, Wait by Robin Benson, which is a contemporary book about a rockstar and his girlfriend (From Audrey’s perspective), thing book has some similar appeal.

Cover Art Review: I like this vector color with the gradients and silhouette of Cole, a wolf and palm trees and buildings. Goes with the other covers, yet is different. 

The Blessed by Tonya Hurley

Release Date: September 25

Series: The Blessed (bk. 1)

Genera: Paranormal Romance

Subjects: Saints, sainthood, religion, supernatural, humor, New York

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: (about) 408 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary/ product description: “From the author of the New York Times bestselling ghostgirl series, the start to a captivating and haunting teen trilogy about three girls who become entangled with an enigmatic boy—a boy who believes he is a saint.What if martyrs and saints lived among us? And what if you were told you were one of them?
Meet Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy. Three lost girls, each searching for something. But what they find is Beyond Belief.”

My Rating: êêê1/2

My Review: This book was discouragingly confusing at first. I really wasn’t sure if I want to read it after the first 20 pages. I put it down for a few months and only picked it because I wanted to review it before it was released. And who knew, maybe it would get better as it went along. I did. Kind of. It’s was still confusing. There were no Angels, but Sebastian sounded hot. Lucy’s a media whore, Cecelia’s a rocker chic and Agnus almost killed herself over a boy. They all seemed like unlikely candidates for sainthood that I wasn’t sure how the story was going to turn out. But they changed. I did like the part about the hurricane/tornado in New York. The funny thing is that on September 9^th when I was reading this book, a tornado did touch down in Manhattan, and one in New York City. Two tornados. Coincidence? Very strange. So for a while I though the story was going an apocalyptic/dystopian route. Cicadas plague instead of locusts? Well, it didn’t completely go that way, but there was some survival while they were trapped in the church. Something to look forward to if you struggle with the first few chapters. There’s very little true paranormal stuff till the end, but I hope the next book will be better. Happy reading!

Cover Art Review: I know it’s supposed to be Lucy, but that girl looks very creepy. She looks like a possessed Dakota Fanning/Amanda Seyfreid. Those eyebrows…ick…and the pink eye shadow…eww. So what if she’s the patron saint of the blind. The title looks cool. I’m sure this will be printed on sparkly pearlized stock.

 

~Haley G