Jill's Book Blog

Title: Other Words for Smoke
Author: Sarah Maria Griffin
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: March 12, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Years ago, the house at the end of the lane burned down. The townspeople never learned what happened, but Rita Frost and her teenage ward, Bevan, were never seen again. Only Mae and her brother Rossa know the truth of what happened that summer—and they’ll never say a word. When they were told they’d be spending their summer with their great aunt, Mae and Rossa were anything but thrilled. But nothing at Rita’s is as it appears. Bevan is enthralled by a dangerous power lurking behind the walls of Rita’s home. The power—known as Sweet James—is hungry, and what he wants most is a taste of the twins. And Bevan wants the magic and escape that Sweet James is offering her. But Sweet James is never satisfied, no matter what Bevan brings him. Mae would give Bevan almost anything—she is in the grip of first love, both dying for Bevan’s attention and worried she’ll get it. But Rossa is learning some of the terrible secrets the house is hiding, secrets that paralyze him with fear. As the summer draws to a close, Bevan tries to free Sweet James from his prison within the walls, but is thwarted by Rita and her cat (who is more than a cat), Bobby Dear.

It’s over for Mae and Rossa, isn’t it? They return home. They don’t talk about the strangeness of that summer. But it never completely abandons them. And things at home only get worse.

And so three years later, Rossa and Mae are sent once again to Rita’s home, as their parents’ marriage finally seems to crumble. At first it seems that the strangeness has dissipated. But Sweet James never left. He has been lurking within the walls, waiting the perfect time to return. He’s been waiting much longer than any of them know—any of them except Rita, who has been keeping secrets of her own. Secrets that bring the house down in flames around them and bring them all to the brink of the things they most want—and what they most fear.

Sarah Maria Griffin is a rare talent with a unique and atmospheric writing style. Fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s All the Crooked Saints and Libba Bray’s The Diviners will devour this dark and unusual novel.

Review:

This was an exciting story. It’s unique because it’s a mix of suspense, fantasy, and a little bit of horror.

This story was unique in the narratives. The focus switched between characters. Most of it was written in third person, but when it switched to Bevan’s perspective it became second person. I’ve only read a short story written from the second person perspective, so this was new to me. In second person, the narrator speaks to “you.” Bevan was in an unusual position in the story, so it makes sense that she had an unusual narrative.

The ending of the story was quite surprising. I loved the mix of horror and fantasy. There were a lot of magical elements, such as a cat who could talk and an owl who lived in the walls of the house. I think it has elements of horror too, in the way that the house’s layout would change, which disturbed the characters. I really liked this mix of genres.

I loved this story! It’s a great, unique book.

What to read next:

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

Light Between
Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

Have you read Other Words for Smoke? What did you think of it?

Title: Destroy Me (Shatter Me #1.5)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Release Date: October 2, 2012
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Perfect for the fans of Shatter Me who are desperately awaiting the release of Unravel Me, this novella-length digital original will bridge the gap between these two novels from the perspective of the villain we all love to hate, Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

In Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of. . .

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

Review:

This story contains some spoilers for the end of Shatter Me, so don’t read my review if you’re planning on reading Shatter Me.

This novella takes place after the end of Shatter Me. It follows Warner after he was shot. Juliette has run away, and Warner has to deal with his father’s reaction to him losing his experiment.

Warner finds Juliette’s journal from when she was locked up in her room. When he reads it, we get to see more of what she wrote. Bringing her journal into the story was a good way of keeping her narrative in this novella.

I really liked that we get to see Warner’s perspective in this story. It made him seem like a fuller character, because we can see his relationship with his father and his soldiers.

I love this series! I can’t wait to read the next book, Unravel Me.

What to read next:

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi

Have you read Destroy Me? What did you think of it?