Thursday, April 12, 2012

Review: Bone Dressing by Michelle I. Brooks

Bone Dressing (Bone Dressing, #1)






Publication Date
April 20th, 2011

Publisher
Savage Enterprises

Available At

Formats
Ebook
Paperback







Time is running out & the Dark that's been chasing Syd for many lifetimes has finally caught up with her.


Sydney Roberdeau lost her parents as a young girl. Waiting for her life to start and the freedom that will come with her eighteenth birthday, Syd spends much of her time haunting the local cemetery. It is there, stretched out among the dead, that she feels most alive, most at home. Until one rainy night when Beau, Sarah and T.J. crash her ghostly sanctuary, appearing out of nowhere, turning her already inside-out world one degree past upside down.


Syd must now revisit past lives, dressing in the bodies of her previous selves & bone dressing. Her only chance to outrun the evil breathing down her neck is to face her own worst nightmares and her strongest desires. But if she can't stay out of trouble in this life, how can she possibly fix mistakes from past lives? And just how many lives has she lived, loved and lost? What is Syd exactly, and what will she risk for the life of a man she doesn't remember, the man she spent a lifetime with, the man she loves? Everything including her very own life?


Bone Dressing, the first in a series of seven books, will carry Syd and Beau on an adventure that transcends life itself.


Review
Genre: YA Dark Paranormal/Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars


First, I want to begin by saying that I first read Bone Dressing in November 2011, before this blog existed. Secondly, after the author, Michelle Brooks, contacted me to do a review, I decided to do a re-read because 1. I loved the book and 2. I'm extremely anxious to get my hands on the next book! Re-reading Bone Dressing was the perfect way to get my Syd and Beau fix. Also, Michelle Brooks was very generous to send me a paperback copy of Bone Dressing! I cracked that baby open(I don't believe in letting perfectly good books sit on a shelf without opening them, unless they are very, very old) and relished the amazing story! 


Now, on to the actual review! 


Michelle Brooks' writing style is rich with sarcasm and attitude as we get to know the inner psyche of Syd. Told in first person, in such a way that every word is coming from the beautiful mind of Syd. It fits with the book and the feel of the story, some readers prefer third-person perspectives, I tend to lean more toward the first person-perspectives, so Bone Dressing was a perfect fit. By Michelle Brooks allowing this uncensored look into Syd, I found myself instantly in love with her character. Syd is extremely bad-ass, she's sarcastic, witty, smart and constantly in trouble. She's also pretty damn insightful for a jaded seventeen-year-old. The characters that Syd is surrounded by are also on their own level. Michelle Brooks has the full capability to capture the substance of each character and bring them to life in their own ways. Another book that transcends the two-dimensional characters bringing them to life with simple yet important details.


Bone Dressing is a book that untangles in an unexpected way. You'll get the general direction from reading the blurb, but there is so much more! The plot is strewn with juicy little details, things that do and don't jump out at you right away. There is the general, broader story about Syd and Beau, but then there is the mini-story (of Jesse and Rachel) that encompasses the broader story, one that will literally sweep you off your feet. There is no better way to say it. Don't get my wrong, fluffy, light-hearted books are great (I often read them), but Bone Dressing is deep, dark and addictive; a book that pulls the emotions out of you, not even really giving you a choice. A book that I will revisit many, many , many more times in my lifetime. 


Is this book for everyone? No. In reality, not every single book is for every single individual. But I urge you to to pick this book up and read, Bone Dressing has quickly become one of my favorites. To be fair, I will warn you of the swearing and the certain sensuality at play, but it's done in a realistic way that fits seamlessly with life. . . and this book. In my opinion, Bone Dressing should be on every mature YA readers TBR pile, a book that you won't want to miss.


And to pull at those heart-strings of yours, I will leave you with a quote:

"My heart beats because you live inside me. My lungs breathe because you fill them with love. A single day without the sound of your voice, your laughter, your touch, is an eternity in hell. You are my life. You always have been. You always will be. I am yours and I will love you until the stars shower down upon us and time loses all meaning"

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