By Helen Ellis
Published by SourcebooksReleased May 1st, 2010
Source: From Sourcebooks
2.5 stars- It was an ok read. I wanted to like it, but I couldn't get into the book like I had hoped.
Plucked from foster care, May Richards hit the jackpot with a loving family, an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and as pot in the elite Purser-Lilley Academy. But she might lose it all if people find out about The Turning.
Something not human is inside Mary. Her mind is reeling and her body is rebelling. She succumbs to urges and desires she never imagined. And then there's the bizarre physical transformation....
Struggling with her metamorphosis, May is sought out by two boys who share her secret. Will she reject the destiny they swear is hers? Or will she find out what curiosity kills?
You only get one chance to decide if you'll never turn again....
Helen has written a fascinating story set in New York City about 16 year old Mary Richards. Before being adopted as an older child, Mary grew up in Foster Care. She now lives with her friend and sister, Octavia, who's also adopted. Both girls have had their share of heartache and now live with a loving family in the Upper East Side in Manhattan, and attend a private school.
While the book starts off with Mary, her sister Octavia, and their twin sister friends, I felt the story took a strange turn shortly after it began. Out of no where Mary starts acting strange and starts having feline desires. During this time, her long time crush Nick, starts taking notice in her. It's not until the large deli cat appears outside of her bathroom window and she lets him in, does she start to realize what's happening to her. She's going through "The Turning". Something Nick knows all about and is there to help Mary through it. To Mary's surprise and Octavia's horror, Mary is turning into a cat. Not just any cat, Mary is something more, she's a very elite kind of cat, which causes the attraction of Country Club, King of the Strays. With a turf war looming on the horizon, Mary realizes there's a few things she needs to learn about her abilities and being apart of this secret society. Yoon, the cat she let in to her bathroom, Nick and Octavia are her only source of help.
While a few things were missing from the story for me, I did enjoy Nick and Mary's relationship, even though I felt it came out of nowhere and happened really quickly. They went from never talking to having an immediate connection to dating each other. Once I got further on in the story, I discovered why things happened so fast. Octavia and Mary's relationship is a raw sister/friend relationship that will either be shattered or strengthened through Mary's turning. Mary soon learns the horrors that Octavia endured for years, at the mercy of cats, and the reason why Octavia would never change in front of her. Cats aren't always the nice loving house pets we want them to be. I liked that during the course of Mary's "turning", Octavia and Mary's relationship grows, as they learn to trust the other with secrets no one else knows about.
I'm not sure if I was fascinated or had the hardest time getting into the scenes when Mary's a cat. While those scenes are brief, Helen wrote the scenes from Mary's point of view as a cat, and then when she's human, she describes her feline yearnings she has for Nick and Yoon, the fat deli cat who started "the Turning".
The Turning is the first book in this series, and I am looking forward to finding out what happens with Mary, Nick and Octavia in the next book. While Mary is worried about saving Nick and doing her best to keep her relationship with her sister, who's very freaked out by Mary being a cat, Mary has to save herself, but time is of the essence and Mary's time is running out.
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sounds interesting, I'll have to keep an eye out for it.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't get into The Turning either, it was pretty jarring ... the dialogue seemed forced, like it was trying too hard to be young ... I didn't find the characters or plot particularly interesting ... and like you mentioned, her and Nick went from nothing to making-out ... huh?
ReplyDeleteI've decided to skip writing a review for it, because I can't really think of anything good to say.
Also, the whole "HAVE to turn several times a year" kind of reminded me of Shiver.
Vintage Sew So and Bella-Thank you for your comments.
ReplyDeleteBella- Sounds like we feel the same way about the story. I'm looking forward to what other people feel about it. It is hard to write a review when you don't get out of book what you hoped you would. Despite the fact I didn't get out of the book what I was hoping to, I will read the second book in the series, just to see what happens and the further development of the characters.
Interesting review and I've read others that were pretty similar. We are actually interviewing the author during #YAlitchat on May 12 so we'll get to pick her brain re: what she was thinking when worldbuilding and character development. I'm anxious to hear her responses as this kind of unique world can create many challenges for a writer. The slightest issue can throw the entire story askew. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteCheers-
Georgia McBride
Hi Georgia! I don't know how I missed your comment. I'm off to read your interview with Helen. It was a fascinating read. I'm curious to hear her answer your questions.
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