Book Review: The Blessed by Tonya Hurley

Title: The Blessed (The Blessed #1)
Author: Tonya Hurley
Release Date: September 25th 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Source: Won from a blogger giveaway

A re-imagined redemption remix following three wayward teenage girls in Brooklyn that draws on the earliest martyrdom legends of St. Lucy, St. Cecelia, and St. Agnes, The Blessed is a dark and gritty supernatural romance that puts an ancient twist on modern love and relationships.

Along with the enigmatic Sebastian, Lucy, Agnes, and Cecilia are forced to figure out who is good and who is evil in the battle for not only love, but for their own souls.







My Thoughts

I had not heard of this book until I won an ARC in a giveaway on an author's blog page, but I was immediately intrigued with the storyline. I have an attraction for things religious and spiritual, and have collected a few religious based books, artworks, and nic-nacs; and I definitely wouldn't mind one of the girls beautifully described chaplets :)

While reading The Blessed, I found that it didn't really have one clear voice, or POV throughout, and this did cause some confusion as I was page flipping back and forth to check and see if I'd missed something, because it really was quite distracting and I did feel more than a little lost at times. One moment I'm reading the book from Lucy's point-of-view, and the next I'm in Sebastian's head, and then back again; all in a matter of a few sentences.

However, the second half of the book evened out some, and was a much better read. The story started to take on some direction, and I'd finally come to grips with its disjointed nature.

I really enjoyed the new take on the Saint theme, and author Tonya Hurley can definitely write some beautifully descriptive passages. But I especially enjoyed the parts that were dedicated to each character: Lucy's Lament, Cecilia's Dream, Agnes's Ecstasy, and The Word According To Sebastian.
In fact the whole book has a poetic-ness to it that I haven't often found in a YA book, but it is, at its heart - a dark, gothic, emo-to-the-extreme read, that may not suit the tastes of your average or younger YA reader.

While I may have some contradictory views on some of the content, I can easily see The Blessed being adapted for TV or a movie; it definitely fits the brief for teenage tastes in all things spooky and supernatural, and it does have that sexy bad boy quality going for it too.

Again, I dont think this is a book for everyone, it does flirt with an imaginary line that some writers (and readers) are hesitant to cross, but all things considered, I actually really liked it.

An intriguingly addictive read that spoke to my inner goth, 4 Stars ;]


LINKS

Author website
Goodreads
The Blessed Facebook page