Witchcraft Couture

BEAUTIFUL NEW COVER 7/15!

West, K. (2014). Witchcraft Couture. Self-published.

Adult / Fiction / Supernatural? / Magic?

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.

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Witchcraft Couture spins the tale of artist "Oscar" Federico Pellegrini, who has lost his confidence and creativity. When he faces his former love, who has now become a major player in the fashion world, the stress to succeed becomes too much for Federico, who goes into a panic of self-doubt, fleeing the country and drinking himself into oblivion. As he vacillates between reality and hallucinations, Federico gains possession of a machine - either divine or devilish -- which converts plain clothing into designs which have otherworldly qualities. In the process, Federico becomes obsessed with the machine as the public becomes obsessed with his pieces. Rather than feeling better about himself as he becomes a fashion world sensation, Federico suffers debilitating depression, paranoia, and guilt, as the voices in his head call him an imposter and the few people who love him are forced to distance themselves from his erratic and destructive behaviors.  Does something supernatural power the machine, or is it Federico's mind that creates via the crutch of the machine?

Katarina West has created a truly unique premise that will have readers drawing their own conclusions as to what is real and what is imagined, and no conclusion will be final. I found myself feeling strongly that Federico was simply a delusional, brilliant artist suffering from mental illness, but then West would provide some evidence that would taint my theories with doubt.  West built her characters so richly that we could feel they were going through the same struggles as the readers with what to believe. Conflicted friend Ben and designer Dante seem to be the only people who are clearly sane, but even they get swept away with the magic and success of Federico's designs. Federico's mother seems intentionally blurry for the reader, adding to the mystery of what is truly unfolding. Readers know only what Federico tells them through his journal, which is the format for most of the book, and we can't know for sure if its truth or only Federico's version of it.  When Dante asks, "Why can't you do ordinary things in an extraordinary way," Federico, in striving to do something extraordinary, can't grasp the possibility of escape from his self-imposed chains.  An epilogue written by Ben clears-up some issues, but muddles others so that the reader is left with MUCH to ponder. 

Clearly, author Katarina West has been deliberate in her word choices, creating beautifully descriptive scenes and characters, for a well-edited, cohesive, and captivating story. Witchcraft Couture explores the power of the mind and how experiences and expectations can drive people to extreme behaviors. 

Thank you to the author for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give. 

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Learn more about the delightful author KATARINA WEST on her website, and follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads.

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Circle Nine

Heltzel, A. (2011). Circle nine. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
YA Mystery / Contemporary /Psychological Thriller

QuickNEasy*, 260 pages, ages15+

I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

It is hard for me to say this is a good story, as it's really pretty disturbing what the mind will allow when it is traumatized.  The brain will allow and accept alternate truths and delusions so that it doesn't have to deal with reality and repress anything disturbing. 

But it is a good story, intelligently written with good characterization where it was important. I pretty much read it straight through because the pieces of the puzzle were enticing me to want to see the whole, completed picture.  There were enough hints that I knew the complete picture was going to be ugly, but I had to know.  I desperately needed an explanation.

Our main character, seventeen-year-old Abby, lives in utter bliss.  She doesn't remember anything except Sam, and Sam is everything to her and she everything to him.  Their life seems like a fairy tale, but there is blurring at the edges to signal something's terribly off.  Abby's reality is richly descriptive, and like Abby, the reader wants to believe in the decadent life Abby is living.

Abby's complete and utter dependence on Sam is frustrating, and Sam's complete and utter control over Abby even more so; but there is so much below the surface and neither is truly completely in control or completely controlled. Again, running beneath the surface was this NEED for me to find out why Abby was so passive and easily manipulated. . . I kept on reading.

Recently, the books I've been reading haven't had satisfactory resolutions at the end, but that is not the case for Circle Nine.  Though we don't have all the answers, and we don't know exactly what happens around the bend, the direction the story leads makes sense.  There is some hope for Abby, even after the dire and depressing life she's lived.

I could definitely see this being made into a movie. . . 

So, the Clean-O-Meter is tough on this one.  There is abuse -- serious, ongoing psychological and sexual abuse.  The sex isn't graphic or detailed, but it's there and the context makes it sickening.  There is some mild vulgar language -- though a day later, I can't remember specifically which ones, indicating they were apropos for the situations.  There are references to underage drinking and drug use, and drug addiction is a major component of the story though not blatantly so.  So, maybe a 6.5 because it's done so well.

*I initially read this because due to the length, I thought it might appeal to reader who has little patience for lengthy stories; however, this isn't written at a low-level. The vocabulary is better than I'd expected, and there are plenty of literary references that the average reader may not know. Having said that, I don't think the vocab or references are show-stoppers to those who don't understand them, and they definitely enrich the story.

Burnout

Vrettos, A.M. (2011.) Burnout. NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
YA / Mystery

QuickNEasy, 193 pages, ages 12-17

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

Told in alternating viewpoints "Today" and "Remembering," we get the picture of our main character, Nan, who's been through rehab and sworn off drinking, only to find herself in a place she doesn't remember, in clothes she doesn't remember wearing, having blackouts and nausea as the realization that she's fallen off the wagon washes over her.

Nan is a very well-written, realistic character. She struggles with her body image and yearns for friendship and acceptance.  In steps Seemy, who initially is the answer to Nan's prayers but eventually becomes a negative influence through her self-centered and destructive behavior.  Nan is smart enough to be able to recognize the emptiness of the friendship, but she has nothing else.

I was not satisfied with the lack of information about Seemy -- there were a lot of unanswered questions by the end, and how things played out seemed a little unrealistic.  Nan's actions didn't make sense given the circumstances, but I did like that Nan found her inner strength -- that needed to happen.

The writer did a very good job of conveying blackouts, which was a pretty powerful reminder that whatever Nan had done was still in her system and could cause permanent damage. It made it scarier that even though she seemed to be distanced from the danger, it was really right inside her still.

On the Clean-O-Meter rating, it's probably an 8 out of 10.  The subject matter of alcohol, drug use, and addiction is handled without a lot of details.  There is some minor swearing, and though it's clear Seemy is sexually active, there aren't details. Really, that sums up everything that could be controversial -- it's in there, but it's just mentioned and not spelled-out in any way, making this pretty safe reading.

As I Wake

Scott, E. (2011). As I wake. NY: Dutton Books.
YA Lit / Dystopian /Sci-Fi / Mystery

288 pages; ages 14+

I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

The cover is awesome.  Quite possibly, this is the best YA cover from 2011. (hooray for not having a view from the back of a girl in a formal gown.)  And it's a very quick read, even with having to re-read so many paragraphs for clarity. And the whole parallel universes/existences premise is great!  Unfortunately, these are about all of the positives I can say about this story.

The book starts off intentionally confusing, but even as the reader begins to understand the main character's confusion, the repetition and pounding of the same messages gets old.  We get it already!  We were paying attention the first (and second, and third) time you told us that Ava (main character) can't remember diddly squat, doesn't recognize anyone, doesn't beloooooong here.  Her memories of her "other" life are painful and she faints a lot.

A pet peeve of mine is when a published book has typographical errors, and there were more than a few in this book, which brought things to a screeching halt for me.  Also, there were a few unanswered questions that were fairly important to the plot, and leaps of faith the reader was expected to take that weren't worth the jump.

There was so much potential in the premise -- that everyone exists in multiple lives in multiple planes and that sometimes they can move between these places.  That true love remains throughout existence. That deep-down, people are basically the same regardless of the environment.  Unfortunately, the message was delivered in a rather clunky and confusing way.  Truly, I have no idea how the book ended. I re-read it three times and just don't have a clue.

On the Clean-O-Meter rating, I have to give this one a 6, but it easily could have been a perfect 10. The parts that dropped it down were completely unnecessary and even awkward.  There's really no violence other than a fist-fight.  There was one F-Bomb dropped about 3/4 of the way through the book, and it was really out of place and sudden. The character who said it hadn't even uttered a "damn" before that. And the weirdest thing was the odd inclusion of someone overhearing masturbation and in turn masturbating and then later recalling the whole thing. No details of the actions, but odd inclusion of it and completely out of place with a story that doesn't have pining, yearning, or fondling. Just a few kisses that were nondescript.