Written By: Michael Grant
# of pages:
My Rating: 5/5
Published: September 2014
Read in August 2014
Summary according to Goodreads
I remembered my name – Mara. But, standing in that ghostly place, faced with the solemn young man in the black coat with silver skulls for buttons, I could recall nothing else about myself.
And then the games began.
The Messenger sees the darkness in young hearts, and the damage it inflicts upon the world. If they go unpunished, he offers the wicked a game. Win, and they can go free. Lose, and they will live out their greatest fear.
But what does any of this have to do with Mara? She is about to find out.
My Thoughts
I received an ARC copy of this novel at BEA in New York last year, and that does not have any influence on my opinion on my thoughts.
"If you are wicked the Messenger will find you." That was the tag line written on the cover of the book, and that was what had grabbed my attention and made me want to pick it up.
This book is told in first-person, and centers around Mara who was a very interesting character. She wakes up in a field with no memory of where she is, and even other things about her life before. This made it a lot more interesting to read because as I was reading I would share some of the same thoughts and feelings as she did, and the reader also learns about this world just as Mara does.
Right from the beginning this story sucked me in and I was captivated by both the plot and the writing style. Michael Grant has such a powerful writing voice, and can bring strong personalities to anything. There was a part in the beginning describing a wind going through the area, and the voice he was able to bring to it could make you shiver - you felt as though you were there and it was real.
I was very hesitant going into this novel because I was not the biggest fan of Gone, but after reading this I am willing to give that series another chance. I will likely pick this novel up for a reread before continuing on because I enjoyed it so much that I just want to dive back in.
I would recommend this to any reader looking for something different, a little creepy, and something that will make you think. I was so empathetic towards Mara, and different situations in this novel really make the reader think about what they would do and how they would feel. Overall, I can only say; wow. This was such a different kind of book, and something I was not expecting, but I am so glad that I picked it up. Can't wait for the sequel!
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