Review: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

THE DETAILS:
Pages: 400
Genre: Adult, Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Collins
Received from Publisher
Release date: 01/07/2011

THE BLURB:

Everyone in Claysville knows that the Barrows are no ordinary family, but no one can really explain why. When respected matriarch Maylene Barrow dies suddenly her granddaughter Rebekkah returns to the small town she grew up in, where she must face the demons of her past -- the suicide of her half-sister Ella, the person she was closest to in the world, and the subsequent break-up of her parents′ marriage. And she also re-encounters Byron, Ella′s old boyfriend, someone to whom she has always felt a deep and mysterious connection.

But the demons of the past are nothing compared with what the future has in store for Rebekkah. Her grandmother has left her an inheritance both wonderful and terrible. An onerous responsibility now rests on her shoulders -- one for which she is ill-prepared to say the least.

For behind Claysville′s community-spirited, small-town facade lies a dark secret. One that ties Rebekkah and Byron together in an inextricable bond, and that will require them both to sacrifice everything to keep their friends and neighbours from harm.

MY REVIEW:
This was one of those books that I debated about whether or not I wanted to read quite a bit when it first made it's way onto book hauls in the blogosphere. I'm normally not interested in anything scary, gory or to do with the dead, but after enjoying the first two novels of the 'wicked lovely' series I just had to give this book a go. The result: I was definitely enthralled by this book and Marr has spiked my interest to read more books about the dead.

The only other book about dead people that I have enjoyed was 'Her Fearful Symmetry' by Audrey Niffeneger. I was hoping for something along the same lines when I opened this book. According to shelfari I was not the only person that was hoping for this. What I got definitely didn't resemble much of what I had expected, but it was a better read! Similarly this book inspires me to read more about the dead than to read about the living.

The quote on the front of the novel "Noone builds worlds like Melissa Marr" definitely felt true. Just like 'Wicked lovely' the atmosphere of 'Graveminder' was intriguing and strange and beautiful, yet the two worlds were also very different. The whole idea of being to access the land of the dead through a secret tunnel in your own house is just awesome and "the Land of the Dead" was one of the coolest places i've ever read about. With the people in era specific clothing and their guns almost even seemed a bit steampunk.

I liked the Idea of there being a legacy for the characters to fulfill. It really showed the characters strength and loyalty. I also really enjoyed how like the 'Wicked Lovely' books the characters don't just lie down and accept their legacy. They try to fight it and only accept things with reason to and I think that is definitely more realistic than other books where the characters just go along with it.

I thought this storyline was very new to me. I don't know if that is because I don't tend to read much about zombies/ghosts or if it was because the story was very original. The relationship between the characters was also very different because the woman was the one who didn't want to accept the relationship, not the man. It's great when someone puts the idea out there that some problems definitely aren't gender specific.

I did notice that the actual plot is a bit slower moving than some people might be used to. This didn't bother me because I was so drawn in by the atmosphere and the characters. However, I thought this might annoy a few people- especially ones who like fast paced YA novels.

For an adult book I thought this was quite a quick read. I read it in about two days, but had to take a break in the middle due to eye strain and events.

Overall, I think anyone who is interested in something new and exciting (who isn't?) will be interested in this. I absolutely loooooved every bit of this book. For those like me who don't watch many MA or R movies or who don't like anything too gory or hideous don't worry. I didn't have any troubles with it. I think personally that the writer focused more on the relationships and characters in the story than the gross details. I gave this 5 stars and favourited it.

THE OTHER COVER:

So what about the other cover? I like it too, but I think the UK one is nice in a minimalist kind of way.

WHAT I WANT TO READ NOW:
-Grange House
-HereAfter

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