Sunday, March 24, 2013

Review: Revel by Maurissa Guibord

Revel

Revel by Maurissa Guibord
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Rating: 5 stars
Source: Copy provided by the author

Summary (from Goodreads):

There’s an island off the coast of Maine that’s not on any modern map.

Shrouded in mist and protected by a deadly reef, Trespass Island is home to a community of people who guard the island and its secrets from outsiders. Seventeen-year-old Delia grew up in Kansas, but has come here in search of her family and answers to her questions: Why didn’t her mother ever talk about Trespass Island? Why did she fear the open water? But Delia’s not welcome and soon finds herself enmeshed in a frightening and supernatural world where ancient Greek symbols adorn the buildings and secret ceremonies take place on the beach at night.

Sean Gunn, a handsome young lobsterman, befriends Delia and seems willing to risk his life to protect her. But it’s Jax, the coldly elusive young man she meets at the water’s edge, who finally makes Delia understand the real dangers of life on the island. Delia is going to have to fight to survive. Because there are monsters here. And no one ever leaves Trespass alive.

What I Liked:

First, let me say that this book is in no way associated with Mrs. Guibord's first novel, Warped. Warped (2011) is AMAZING, a story about time-travel and curses and Fate, and I totally recommend to anyone, but Revel is not related to Warped in any way. Just a note :)

Second, can I just say how GORGEOUS the cover of Revel is!? I love the blue and white swirls, and trust me, it's even prettier in person. AND SHINY. This one is quite the stunner from Delacorte.

Okay, now the actual book. This review might be a little short, because I LOVED this book. And usually, with books that I absolutely love, I tend to go on and on and gush endlessly about things that I loved (which tends to be everything), and I'm sure people get the idea after a while.

The story does not start slowly at all - which I appreciated. While I will read through them, I am not a fan of slow starts. Revel kicks off quickly and gains speed, adding the mythological aspect of the book faster than I expected (not at all a bad thing). The pacing of this book was perfect (in my opinion), and fit the story extremely well.

I enjoyed reading about Delia. She is a heroine that anyone can like, and she is tough and inquisitive. I love the way she stood up for herself at every chance she got. She wasn't snarky or rude, but she was assertive, and I found myself cheering her on. It is never easy fitting in a place where no one wants you. I think she handled everything thrown at her very well, especially the no-technology-on-this-island thing. That one would not have sat well with me.

Delia's Gran is a fabulous mentor, and Zuzu and Reilly are excellent friends. Each character's relationship with Delia is different and rocky, but each character cares about each other and Delia, so I genuinely liked each of them by the end of the book. Sean is another sweet secondary character who fights to protect everyone on the island, which almost ended up being a disaster for him.

But Jax. Jax is my favorite character of this book. Right from his formal introduction (there was an informal one first), we know that he is not perfect, or godlike (no pun intended), or the stereotypical divine male that pops out of nowhere and is suddenly a love interest. He still is a love interest, but he's not like, the usual HOT supernatural male creature. That made me love him even more. He is an outcast, but he is so noble. There seriously aren't enough to describe this guy. Just trust me - he's amazing in a not-so-typical way. I feel like only shallow readers wouldn't like him, because he isn't perfect. But I think his imperfections make him even more appealing, and apparently, Delia thought so, too (hint hint).

So, yes, there is sort of a love triangle. But you can tell where it was going as soon as you read about both love interests. It is so obvious, which is GOOD. No choosing teams or getting up-in-arms over Delia. She knew what she really wanted, they knew what they really wanted, and the romance wraps up cleanly.

The plot of this book was fantastic. I don't want to give anything away, but believe me, you will not be bored at any point in this book. I always found myself wondering, "What happens next?" throughout the book, and I could not wait until the end to find out. And contrary to what I thought, the ceremony Revel is NOT the climax of the book. Usually, the one big event of the book is the climax, towards the end-ish. Well, the ceremony Revel is past the middle, but it isn't the climax. A nice surprise for me, who usually has things figured out halfway through books. The monsters, the transformations, the deaths... you will NOT be disappointed! Or bored! 

I thought this was going to be a short review, and I wouldn't gush. Oops.

What I Did Not Like:

There really isn't anything that I can put here. Maybe the fact that I can't understand how Delia gave up technology to live on Trespass Island? I could never do that. But that's more of a personal preference, not a negative in a book.

Would I Recommend It:

YES! Go get it NOW! Anyone can read and will most likely love this book. 

Rating: 

5 stars - there was no doubt in my mind after I finished this one that it would be 5 stars from me. Revel will definitely be in my favorites of 2013 list, just as Warped as in 2011!

Author Blog | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble


Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

20 comments:

  1. I am so happy to finally read a review on Revel! I feel in love with that cover awhile back and was intrigued by the mythology + Maine setting, but have yet to get my hands on a copy. I am glad to hear you liked this so much. Great review! :)

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    1. YAY! I'm glad to help in some way! The cover was definitely part of the attraction for me, but I read Warped, Mrs. Guibord first novel, and new that this author would be an auto-read author for me. I am so sure you will enjoy this one! AND, I'll have a giveaway up for a signed copy soon :D

      Thank you, Randi!

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  2. Humm, a new title and author I'm going to have to check out further

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    1. You should! Hope you enjoy it! I'll be giving away a signed copy soon :)

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  3. I love paranormal books. Thanks for sharing :-)

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  4. The cover *is* gorgeous. I'm such a sucker for pretty covers! I'm really intrigued by your review -- even more so than when I read the Goodreads blurb! (Also, thank you for keeping it generally spoiler-free)

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    1. I know, right?! The synopsis is quite the hook. I would never spoil too much! Thanks for stopping by! :)

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  5. I love the cover too. I think I added Revel to my wishlist before even reading the synopsis partly because of Maurissa, but mostly because of the gorgeous cover!

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    1. Definitely one of the prettiest covers, right? And yay for Maurissa! :D

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  6. Warped was a beautiful story. I loved it so much, and I definitely feel like it is very under-appreciated. So when I heard about Revel, I was immediately hooked in, ready to read it! Yours is the first review that I have read about it and I think it will be my only, because it makes me happy. Thanks so much for the review!

    Oh yeah, can't go without making some mention of the cover. It is absolutely stunning. Beautiful!

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    1. I'm glad you think my review is good! I really hope you enjoy the book, Jaime! And the cover is SO pretty in person *winks*

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  7. I have never heard of this book before but after reading your amazing review I am going to check this out. This sounds like a wonderful story and one that I am really interested in reading. Thank you for always giving your honest reviews.

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    1. Awww, thank you for the compliment! I hope you really enjoy this book! My pleasure, Tina.

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  8. It sounds like a great novel. I love books set on faraway lands, and an island sounds like a good setting in my opinion. Glad that the love triangle is not complicated. I'd rather read a book focused more on the plot. :)

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    1. It is! I think the island setting is fantastic. And I usually hate love triangles, but this romance was clear. I think you might enjoy this book! ^_^

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  9. AHHHH love triangles!!! I just kind of despise them... but I am quite interested in this story! I also LOVE the cover! It looks like a painting I would hang on my wall and is gorgeous! I think that this story sounds extremely intriguing! Thank you for sharing this amazing review! I am def going to add this to my TBR pile and hopefully get my hands on this one ASAP!

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    1. I'm not a huge fan, either, but this book did an excellent job of steering the love triangle away to a pair. The cover is GORGEOUS - I want Revel pictures everywhere! I hope you get to read it soon!

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  10. I've seen a couple of awesome reviews for this book recently (just looking through blogs) and now I am really intrigued! I'm not a big love triangle fan either but from what you've said it sounds quite well done! This is going straight on my to-read list!

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    1. That's great! I'm glad there are many out there. Don't worry about the love triangle - it's an obvious one, in my opinion, and very well done. Hopefully, you read and enjoy this one, Myra!

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