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Horrorscape #1
Fearscape
He followed her because he wanted to own her. She trusted him because she wanted excitement. There's a saying that curiosity can kill … but Valerian Kimble is beginning to learn that satisfaction might just be worse.
Fourteen-year-old Valerian lives in an age where antiheroes and bad boys are portrayed as the romantic ideal, and good guys are passe and boring. So when Gavin Mecozzi, the school's brilliant but twisted loner, begins to show an interest in her after a chance meeting in a pet store, Val is intrigued. He's charming and poetic and makes her feel things that she thought were only possible in books--
Fear.
Because somebody is stalking Val. Somebody who wants to hurt her. Own her. Possess her. Maybe even kill her.
As her meetings with Gavin unravel into a more complex and frightening relationship, Val can't help but wonder if the new boy in her life is her depraved and obsessive stalker.
And whether he's capable of murder.
Time is running out.
Fourteen-year-old Valerian lives in an age where antiheroes and bad boys are portrayed as the romantic ideal, and good guys are passe and boring. So when Gavin Mecozzi, the school's brilliant but twisted loner, begins to show an interest in her after a chance meeting in a pet store, Val is intrigued. He's charming and poetic and makes her feel things that she thought were only possible in books--
Fear.
Because somebody is stalking Val. Somebody who wants to hurt her. Own her. Possess her. Maybe even kill her.
As her meetings with Gavin unravel into a more complex and frightening relationship, Val can't help but wonder if the new boy in her life is her depraved and obsessive stalker.
And whether he's capable of murder.
Time is running out.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 29, 2012
About the author
Nenia Campbell
57 books20.5k followers
Hi there. I'm Nenia! I'm an author of several villain romances, and creator and moderator of Unapologetic Romance Readers.
I read a lot of amazingly trashy books that I would be happy to rec you. Coffee flows through my veins like ichor. Also, check out what I've written sometime!
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Nenia-Campbell/...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aficionenias
Instagram: http://instagram.com/alwaysbeebooked
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Shelved as 'someone-with-my-name-wrote-this'
December 18, 202212/18- FREE today only! I don't make this book free very often so make sure you grab your copy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
Details + space to ask about TWs and CWs here: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Inspirational fan art by Heather Crews (source)
-----
I got the most GORGEOUS hardcover bindings from @librisroseus
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The first three books in my Horrorscape series will be 99 cents each until June!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
This is to celebrate Escape breaking 100 ratings and also just because quarantine fucking sucks and other authors have been helping to keep me sane with their discounted ebooks, so why not pay it forward?
Please enjoy these cheap books and thank you so much for reading my work. Quarantine has been a struggle for me, and I can't imagine how difficult this has been for others, so whether you're fans or just someone reading this in passing, we're all in this together and I truly wish you and yours the best. ♥
Edit: Here is my attempt at a promotional photo lol
---
I might be biased lol, but if I don't give my book the rating it deserves, who will? Tee hee
*winky emoji* *nail polish emoji* *100 percent emoji*
Details + space to ask about TWs and CWs here: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Inspirational fan art by Heather Crews (source)
-----
I got the most GORGEOUS hardcover bindings from @librisroseus
-----
The first three books in my Horrorscape series will be 99 cents each until June!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
This is to celebrate Escape breaking 100 ratings and also just because quarantine fucking sucks and other authors have been helping to keep me sane with their discounted ebooks, so why not pay it forward?
Please enjoy these cheap books and thank you so much for reading my work. Quarantine has been a struggle for me, and I can't imagine how difficult this has been for others, so whether you're fans or just someone reading this in passing, we're all in this together and I truly wish you and yours the best. ♥
Edit: Here is my attempt at a promotional photo lol
---
I might be biased lol, but if I don't give my book the rating it deserves, who will? Tee hee
*winky emoji* *nail polish emoji* *100 percent emoji*
September 10, 2013
♦ 4.5 STARS. ♦
"Curiosity can be a very dangerous thing, my dear."
What the hell did I just read?? Honestly, I'm not really sure how to answer that question but I will say that it was:
"You've never been kissed before, have you?
You're so innocent.
You should run from me while you can."
"Or what?"
"I catch you."
♦
Intriguing. Captivating. Enthralling. Dark. Twisted.
Right from the very beginning, this story managed to grab my attention. It was unlike anything I've ever read before, which is of course always a good sign. But more than that, I was really impressed with the well thought out build-up of the story and the author's unique writing style, of which the many parts I highlighted are a perfect proof.
Beware, this is not your typical stalker romance. It's more like the ultimate stalker story. The way the author writes it, it's as if you're I side the story yourself and you go through all the suspenseful, nerve-wrecking moments. That way the story has a much more realistic feel to it than many other dark and twisted reads out there. Although it is classified as YA, I would say that it's more YA with a very mature feel to it.
♦
"People only picked the pretty, sweet-smelling flowers. The ones with thornes were left alone."
Fourteen-year-old Valerian Kimble is exactly one of those sweet, innocent, untouched flowers. She's the kind of girl who's friendly to just about anyone, doesn't have a mean streak inside of her and who's the ultimate animal lover. She's young, pretty and easy to impress which makes her the perfect target for someone with a dark personnality and much less than good intentions.
"I don't bite, Val. Not hard. Not unless I'm asked too."
Gavin, Gavin, Gavin... I don't even know what to say about him. He's twisted, has a lot of disturbing thoughts and yet I couldn't help but be fascinated and charmed by him at the same time. One minute I really liked him, the next he did something that repulsed me. And that's how itwas theoughout the entire story. He's such a unique and intriguing character and I can't wait to find out about him as the series continues.
♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦*♦
At the beginning of the story, Val starts to become aware of someone watching her, following her, shadowing her every move. Then, her stalker starts sending her more and more messages with hidden meanings.
"Why do you keep bothering me?"
"Because of how beautiful you are when you run - and how much it makes me want to chase you."
At the same time, Val meets Gavin Mecozzi, a senior in her high school. He's intelligent, artistic and Val is immediately intrigued by his unique and sometimes slightly dangerous attitude. He's also the school's number one outcast and loner which is why her friends have warned her to stay away from him. But Gavin also makes her feels things she never even knew existed and it becomes increasingly harder to resist his company.
As the story progresses, Val starts to discover more and more similarities between her stalker and Gavin. But surely, her enticingly fascinating schoolmate can't be the same person as the one who's been sending her all those dark and disturbing messages...
"What would it be like, I wonder, to have such power over a woman? To feel her beneath you, as beautiful and golden and lovely as the sun, half-willing, half-resistant? To know that you have her by the throat? I should like to have such an experience for myself."
As her stalker becomes more and more obsessed, Val starts to fear for her safety and sanity. She needs to find out who exactly her stalker is before it's too late, but time starts running out and Val fears she might never escape the hands of her secret admirer...
"Can you feel the ties that bind us? Can you feel them tightening? Because I can, they're so tight that I can scarcely breathe."
Gradually throughout the story, things started to get more and more creepy...
And that's exactly what made the reading experience so great. You know something bad is going to happen, you know who the bad guy is and still the story manages to surprise you and keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time you are reading it.
I really feel like I can't say much more about the story, because that would spoil too much for those who haven't read it yet. You just have to read it and find out for yourself how alluring and captivating this series really is...
"She trembles just like a butterfly when she's in my arms."
...
"You can chose to see me as your prison or your pasture. Either way, you will wear my bridle."
September 6, 2013
WHAT THE FCUK JUST FCUKING HAPPENED!!! MY GAWD!!!!
You're like a half-tamed creature, still shy of the bridle. Except you enthrall me, never shall be free.' But freedom is an illusion, anyway.
Valerian Kimble, wouldn't hurt a fly, does track at school, loves animals and drawing on her sketch pad. So imagine her surprise when she starts getting notes from an unknown stalker. Who in their right mind would want to hurt her? Well in this case I'll have to agree with Mrs Kimble, the question answers itself.
You can choose to see me as your prison or your pasture. Either way, you will wear my bridle. But I warn you now - my expectations are higher; I hope for your sake, that you can say the same. Because I've decided that if I can't have you, nobody else shall, either.
Gavin Mecozzi, student at Valerian's highschool and TA to her art teacher. His known as hit-list man to everyone else, but Valerian sees a different side to his persona. Yes he ma be brooding and intense, but he's also intelligent and has become a good friend. Why is everyone so scared of him?
My Thoughts
This was my reaction while reading Fearscape
And Finally
I bow to your genius Nenia Campbell! You managed to mess with my mind!!! I am both scared and in love with the character you have written!!!
You're like a half-tamed creature, still shy of the bridle. Except you enthrall me, never shall be free.' But freedom is an illusion, anyway.
Valerian Kimble, wouldn't hurt a fly, does track at school, loves animals and drawing on her sketch pad. So imagine her surprise when she starts getting notes from an unknown stalker. Who in their right mind would want to hurt her? Well in this case I'll have to agree with Mrs Kimble, the question answers itself.
You can choose to see me as your prison or your pasture. Either way, you will wear my bridle. But I warn you now - my expectations are higher; I hope for your sake, that you can say the same. Because I've decided that if I can't have you, nobody else shall, either.
Gavin Mecozzi, student at Valerian's highschool and TA to her art teacher. His known as hit-list man to everyone else, but Valerian sees a different side to his persona. Yes he ma be brooding and intense, but he's also intelligent and has become a good friend. Why is everyone so scared of him?
My Thoughts
This was my reaction while reading Fearscape
And Finally
I bow to your genius Nenia Campbell! You managed to mess with my mind!!! I am both scared and in love with the character you have written!!!
March 29, 2020
Why haven't I read this earlier? I love these types of stories!!!!! I love obsessed, dark characters!!! I love Gavin!!!! I love Fearscape!!!!! I love Pikachu for writing this!!!!
Pikachu..
This is the story I've always wanted to write and read and devour!!!!
*inhales, exhales*
*repeats process 10 more times*
Ok, ok, I'm calm now...
Where to begin?
The writing
Even though I noticed 4 or 5 instances when words were missing, I loved it, it was overall fluid, cursive, accurate and at times poetic. The balance between the descriptive passages and the dialogue was well thought out.
The story
Fascinating (to me, at least, as I've mentioned, I love these types of stories), exhilarating, excellent, exquisite!
The characters
I'm in love with Gavin and Val! If your intention, my dear Pikachu, was to make readers aware of the fact that obsessed boys and the idea of stalking are NOT
Gavin...
I want him
Can't wait to get my paws on Horrorscape!!
All in all,
5 HUGE STARS
February 27, 2017
Book #2: Horrorscape
Book #3: Terrorscape
Oh, Nenia, I should have read this book a long time ago! But I felt nervous because we are GR friends and I felt compelled to a certain degree to praise your book. How wrong was I! My inner Gone Girl loves your book. I was once 14 and made a bunch of mistakes. I saw them coming, and I did nothing to change them. So I understand Val. She's believable and I was there with her all the way. I felt the butterflies in my stomach, I felt wild, I felt hot, I felt horror and I'm left with curiosity (?!). Oh, the possible ways in which this story could develop! As a huge fan of the Hannibal book ending, I'm extremely excited with the possibilities.
Ok, now that I got that out of my chest, let's move to the story. It's quite simple. 14 years old Valerian attracts the attention of 18 years old psychopath. He stalks her, makes her fall for him and scares the hell out of her when she connects the dots.
The chemistry between Val and Gavin left me speechless:
"It'll be my turn to do you against the tree, or other applicable surface."
or
"Stop," she said, "please. My mother's coming, and I don't -"
"Want her seeing her little Red consorting with the wolf?"
And Gavin has my full attention. And mind you, not because of his looks, but because of his sick, twisted mind. Dare I say untamed by society and its morals? I don't think that makes me look good. *tilts head*
What would it be like, I wonder, to have such power over a woman? To feel her beneath you, as beautiful and golden and lovely as the sun, half-willing, half-resistant? To know that you have her by the throat? I should like to have such an experience for myself.
I'm inclined to say I'd be tempted to give that kind of power over myself, too. What would be like to be all feeling and instinct?
Freedom quickly grows stale on the tongue without the added spice of imprisonment, and you'll never want for anything, as long as you submit to me in all ways.
All that said, I'll excuse myself and go start Horrorscape.
P.S. This book has a playlist.
Book #3: Terrorscape
Oh, Nenia, I should have read this book a long time ago! But I felt nervous because we are GR friends and I felt compelled to a certain degree to praise your book. How wrong was I! My inner Gone Girl loves your book. I was once 14 and made a bunch of mistakes. I saw them coming, and I did nothing to change them. So I understand Val. She's believable and I was there with her all the way. I felt the butterflies in my stomach, I felt wild, I felt hot, I felt horror and I'm left with curiosity (?!). Oh, the possible ways in which this story could develop! As a huge fan of the Hannibal book ending, I'm extremely excited with the possibilities.
Ok, now that I got that out of my chest, let's move to the story. It's quite simple. 14 years old Valerian attracts the attention of 18 years old psychopath. He stalks her, makes her fall for him and scares the hell out of her when she connects the dots.
The chemistry between Val and Gavin left me speechless:
"It'll be my turn to do you against the tree, or other applicable surface."
or
"Stop," she said, "please. My mother's coming, and I don't -"
"Want her seeing her little Red consorting with the wolf?"
And Gavin has my full attention. And mind you, not because of his looks, but because of his sick, twisted mind. Dare I say untamed by society and its morals? I don't think that makes me look good. *tilts head*
What would it be like, I wonder, to have such power over a woman? To feel her beneath you, as beautiful and golden and lovely as the sun, half-willing, half-resistant? To know that you have her by the throat? I should like to have such an experience for myself.
I'm inclined to say I'd be tempted to give that kind of power over myself, too. What would be like to be all feeling and instinct?
Freedom quickly grows stale on the tongue without the added spice of imprisonment, and you'll never want for anything, as long as you submit to me in all ways.
All that said, I'll excuse myself and go start Horrorscape.
P.S. This book has a playlist.
October 18, 2013
BR with La-Lionne
5 CREEPY,BRILLIANT STARS
Wow wow wow Amazing!!!Fearscape is definitely a creepy read!!I wasn't sure what to expect when I started the book, but I had high expectations and I wasn't disappointed!!It was brilliant!!
This is a story about Valerian...who is a fourteen year old school-girl with a passion for animals and art.. After running into him at a pet shop, Valerian attracts the interest of the TA in her art class..Gavin. Despite her friend's warnings for him, Valerian gets closer to Gavin who does not seem to be what other people are making him out to be..
At the same time Valerian receives mysterious creepy message from a stalker whose way of speaking is unlike anyone she has ever known...
As Valerian's relationship with Gavin develops...she begins to doubt whether Gavin is the charming boy she first met or she is faced with the fear that Gavin may be the obsessive stalker who haunts her....
This isn't romance.This is about obsession and control...
I like Valerian!!She is only 14 and she is smart and so innocent!I could kind of relate to her. I think that if I were her I will do the same!!Gavin is really charming and I'm sure I will like him too!!
No one expects the handsome one to be so evil..No one expects him to suddenly become her enemy....And this is what happens in this book!!
Well what can I say about Gavin????????
My feelings are mixed...sometimes I love him and other times I hate him!!!He is the perfect evil character!!Gavin can captivates you and makes you vulnerable to all his intentions....I think he really needs a person to care about him...because he is alone...
"And if I told you that I wanted to hurt you?".."Hurt me?".."You've never even been kissed before have you?"
If you haven't read Fearscape, you definitely should. It's dark and creepy!!
I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!I'm sure the next book will blow my mind!!
5 CREEPY,BRILLIANT STARS
Wow wow wow Amazing!!!Fearscape is definitely a creepy read!!I wasn't sure what to expect when I started the book, but I had high expectations and I wasn't disappointed!!It was brilliant!!
This is a story about Valerian...who is a fourteen year old school-girl with a passion for animals and art.. After running into him at a pet shop, Valerian attracts the interest of the TA in her art class..Gavin. Despite her friend's warnings for him, Valerian gets closer to Gavin who does not seem to be what other people are making him out to be..
At the same time Valerian receives mysterious creepy message from a stalker whose way of speaking is unlike anyone she has ever known...
As Valerian's relationship with Gavin develops...she begins to doubt whether Gavin is the charming boy she first met or she is faced with the fear that Gavin may be the obsessive stalker who haunts her....
This isn't romance.This is about obsession and control...
I like Valerian!!She is only 14 and she is smart and so innocent!I could kind of relate to her. I think that if I were her I will do the same!!Gavin is really charming and I'm sure I will like him too!!
No one expects the handsome one to be so evil..No one expects him to suddenly become her enemy....And this is what happens in this book!!
Well what can I say about Gavin????????
My feelings are mixed...sometimes I love him and other times I hate him!!!He is the perfect evil character!!Gavin can captivates you and makes you vulnerable to all his intentions....I think he really needs a person to care about him...because he is alone...
"And if I told you that I wanted to hurt you?".."Hurt me?".."You've never even been kissed before have you?"
If you haven't read Fearscape, you definitely should. It's dark and creepy!!
I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!I'm sure the next book will blow my mind!!
October 28, 2013
***2 stars***
No, this one didn't work for me, for quite a few reasons.
Let's start with the good first:
I liked the whole idea of the story. A guy stalking/harassing a girl. What can I say, now and then, I like those type of books.
I liked Gavin's character, especially the passage from his journal (chapter 12). It was "fun" to read his disturbing thoughts. I think that that was the only part that made my skin crawl and gave me chills. That's the only reason I'm giving two stars.
-WARNING SPOILERS-
And here is the bad:
- Val. She is unbelievably naive girl. I mean, how many clues do you need to get a hint!? I get that she is 14, there is a lot of things she needs to learn about life. But I did think she was too naive and immature even for her age.
Our heroine, Val, is suspicious of Gavin, but keeps telling herself "It can't be". It's right in front of you! Put two and two together. I guess I shouldn't blame her, she was raised by a poor excuse for parents.
- Mystery. There was none. 14% percent into it I knew who the perpetrator was. I'm not sure if the author intended to hide the fact from the reader, but I wish she would have. That would have made the whole thing more scarier. After that, there wasn't any questions about who's going to jump from behind the corner, only when. And when you know who is it, it's not as "fun" anymore even when he does pop out.
- Dialogues. They felt very dry, and boring, especially between Val and her friends. Also, it was hard to connect to any of the characters because their dialogues lacked descriptions. I would have loved to know what their facial expressions looked like and what their body language were like when they said certain things. There was a lot of:
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
- Val's parents, especialy her mother, pissed me off. Also, why the parts that were told from mother's pov referred to her mother as Mrs. Kimble? It was weird.
Anywho, Val tells her about a guy she likes. There is nothing wrong with that, some girls that have a good relationship with their mother do that. It's fine. What bugged me was the fact that her mother was so ignorant and completely clueless about all of it. We are not talking about a 14 year old telling her mother she likes 14 year old boy. He is 18! Not only her mother doesn't show any concern when her daughter tells her about him, she thinks he's a nice guy when she meets him! Really!!? What is the age of consent in the state she lives? 14? I doubt it. 18 year old pursues a 14 year old and her mother doesn't say a peep. I mean... I can't even...
Val's father doesn't think much about either, after he finds out that she went to his house after school.
In my opinion characters would have been more likable if Val would have kept their relationship secret. Then I wouldn't have thought of her mother as a lousy and ignorant parent.
- Spacing between different point of views, inner thoughts and quotes. There was none either. That was why I got so confused about it. Up until 60% I thought that the story was being told only from Val's point of view. I thought it was weird that she called her mother Mrs. Kimble. But it never crossed my mind that it was told from her mother pov, because it was separated only by a paragraph, with no space, star or what ever in between. The quotes were put in parentheses, which was a first for me.
Then there were Val's thought (inner dialogs). I wished they were written in italic text. One sentence begins with "She" the next with "I" the third with "She/Val" all written with the same text in one line and the same paragraph.
There were a lot of paragraphs that felt awkward. One sentence beginning with "Val said/looked..." then "I was/though/looked..." and then "She looked/said...".
I'm not even going to mention the parts with Facebook messages and text messages between characters. It was one big blur.
- The ending. The only reason I didn't DNF-ed this book was because of some of the reviews that said the ending was amazing. I finished it and I didn't think so. First of all let me say that I love me some cliffhangers, open endings or HNA-ers. The ending of this story was very unrealistic. I did warn that my review had spoilers, if you missed that part, stop here, because here come the big one :).
For me, the whole thing started spiraling down when Val's mother found out that those emails weren't from the teacher. She got hysterical (understandably), started treating the teacher and told her to call the police. That did not make any sense. Teacher had no clue what was going on. What would she have said to the 911 operator? "What's your emergency?" "Uhm, I'm not sure. I'm calling because a hysterical mother called me and told me to call you" I mean... ?
Then a teacher walks in on Val being held down, observes, panics, gets scared, I don't know. What pissed me off was the fact than she ran off looking for a phone rather than trying to pull the creep off of her.
I didn't mind Gavin getting away with what he did. What I didn't like were the descriptions of court procedures and how unrealistic they were.
There were enough evidence to put him away for a long time, but somehow he managed to walk free. First, we have a teacher, who not only heard her screaming bloody murder, but found him holding her down. Then we have emails, which have been send from teacher's email account to her mother (or was it to Val?). She claimed she never send them to her and that it was only one other person who had access to her account, her TA. If that's not solid evidence I don't know what is.
I realize that the story is work of fiction, but I like when authors do research to make a story somewhat believable. That's what makes me connect to characters and cheer for them.
Just for the fun of it I called a friend who is a lawyer. I gave him a quick summery of the book and asked him if a person like Gavin could get away with stuff he did here, in Norway. After his hysterical laughter died down he said "No, never. If you have a 14 year old victim and two eye witnesses, especially when one of them is a cop, who confirms her story, he would never walk free." But what does he know, he lives in Norway :-).
Speaking of the police officer who pulled Gavin off of Val. I don't remember his testimony being mentioned in the book. Did he and the teacher got paid and that's why they changed their stories or kept quiet?
I don't know, maybe I read to many thrillers and that's why it's harder and harder to please me, or maybe I'm outgrowing YA genre, either way, this story was a miss for me.
On a positive note, I suggest you to check out my RB's, Pavlina's and my better half's-ish, Alex's reviews before dismissing this book completely :).
Happy reading.
Thanks for reading it with me, Pavlina. It's always fun, no matter the outcome :).
No, this one didn't work for me, for quite a few reasons.
Let's start with the good first:
I liked the whole idea of the story. A guy stalking/harassing a girl. What can I say, now and then, I like those type of books.
I liked Gavin's character, especially the passage from his journal (chapter 12). It was "fun" to read his disturbing thoughts. I think that that was the only part that made my skin crawl and gave me chills. That's the only reason I'm giving two stars.
-WARNING SPOILERS-
And here is the bad:
- Val. She is unbelievably naive girl. I mean, how many clues do you need to get a hint!? I get that she is 14, there is a lot of things she needs to learn about life. But I did think she was too naive and immature even for her age.
"So who is this mystery man? Did Lisa introduce you to him?My friend has a 10 year old daughter, who often gives her similar answers, pursing her lips and stomping her foot.
Val stomped her foot. "Mom! I can find boys without Lisa's help!"
***
"He is in my art class."
"Mm-hmm."
"He works at Petville."
Mrs. Kimble lifted an eyebrow.
"Mom!"
Mrs. Kimble demurred. "I dind't say anything."
"You looked at me."
***
"Did you have a bad day?"
"Meh," said Val.
"Meh?"
"High school is dumb."
Our heroine, Val, is suspicious of Gavin, but keeps telling herself "It can't be". It's right in front of you! Put two and two together. I guess I shouldn't blame her, she was raised by a poor excuse for parents.
- Mystery. There was none. 14% percent into it I knew who the perpetrator was. I'm not sure if the author intended to hide the fact from the reader, but I wish she would have. That would have made the whole thing more scarier. After that, there wasn't any questions about who's going to jump from behind the corner, only when. And when you know who is it, it's not as "fun" anymore even when he does pop out.
- Dialogues. They felt very dry, and boring, especially between Val and her friends. Also, it was hard to connect to any of the characters because their dialogues lacked descriptions. I would have loved to know what their facial expressions looked like and what their body language were like when they said certain things. There was a lot of:
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
- Val's parents, especialy her mother, pissed me off. Also, why the parts that were told from mother's pov referred to her mother as Mrs. Kimble? It was weird.
Anywho, Val tells her about a guy she likes. There is nothing wrong with that, some girls that have a good relationship with their mother do that. It's fine. What bugged me was the fact that her mother was so ignorant and completely clueless about all of it. We are not talking about a 14 year old telling her mother she likes 14 year old boy. He is 18! Not only her mother doesn't show any concern when her daughter tells her about him, she thinks he's a nice guy when she meets him! Really!!? What is the age of consent in the state she lives? 14? I doubt it. 18 year old pursues a 14 year old and her mother doesn't say a peep. I mean... I can't even...
"Then what do I do?"That's the advice her mother gives her after Val shows her the messages he send to her, which are not only inappropriate, but very disturbing, too.
"Ignore him, and he'll lose interest."
"But what if he sends me another message?"
"Block him. Don't even dignify it with a response or an excuse. Just keep blocking him. And if he creates a new account to bother you with, block that one, too.
Val's father doesn't think much about either, after he finds out that she went to his house after school.
In my opinion characters would have been more likable if Val would have kept their relationship secret. Then I wouldn't have thought of her mother as a lousy and ignorant parent.
- Spacing between different point of views, inner thoughts and quotes. There was none either. That was why I got so confused about it. Up until 60% I thought that the story was being told only from Val's point of view. I thought it was weird that she called her mother Mrs. Kimble. But it never crossed my mind that it was told from her mother pov, because it was separated only by a paragraph, with no space, star or what ever in between. The quotes were put in parentheses, which was a first for me.
Then there were Val's thought (inner dialogs). I wished they were written in italic text. One sentence begins with "She" the next with "I" the third with "She/Val" all written with the same text in one line and the same paragraph.
There were a lot of paragraphs that felt awkward. One sentence beginning with "Val said/looked..." then "I was/though/looked..." and then "She looked/said...".
A chil slithered down her spine. No high school student talked like that. Do you go to my high school? She paused. Are you a teacher?And so on.
***
Oh, wow. She thought, I see.
I'm not even going to mention the parts with Facebook messages and text messages between characters. It was one big blur.
- The ending. The only reason I didn't DNF-ed this book was because of some of the reviews that said the ending was amazing. I finished it and I didn't think so. First of all let me say that I love me some cliffhangers, open endings or HNA-ers. The ending of this story was very unrealistic. I did warn that my review had spoilers, if you missed that part, stop here, because here come the big one :).
For me, the whole thing started spiraling down when Val's mother found out that those emails weren't from the teacher. She got hysterical (understandably), started treating the teacher and told her to call the police. That did not make any sense. Teacher had no clue what was going on. What would she have said to the 911 operator? "What's your emergency?" "Uhm, I'm not sure. I'm calling because a hysterical mother called me and told me to call you" I mean... ?
Then a teacher walks in on Val being held down, observes, panics, gets scared, I don't know. What pissed me off was the fact than she ran off looking for a phone rather than trying to pull the creep off of her.
I didn't mind Gavin getting away with what he did. What I didn't like were the descriptions of court procedures and how unrealistic they were.
There were enough evidence to put him away for a long time, but somehow he managed to walk free. First, we have a teacher, who not only heard her screaming bloody murder, but found him holding her down. Then we have emails, which have been send from teacher's email account to her mother (or was it to Val?). She claimed she never send them to her and that it was only one other person who had access to her account, her TA. If that's not solid evidence I don't know what is.
I realize that the story is work of fiction, but I like when authors do research to make a story somewhat believable. That's what makes me connect to characters and cheer for them.
Just for the fun of it I called a friend who is a lawyer. I gave him a quick summery of the book and asked him if a person like Gavin could get away with stuff he did here, in Norway. After his hysterical laughter died down he said "No, never. If you have a 14 year old victim and two eye witnesses, especially when one of them is a cop, who confirms her story, he would never walk free." But what does he know, he lives in Norway :-).
Speaking of the police officer who pulled Gavin off of Val. I don't remember his testimony being mentioned in the book. Did he and the teacher got paid and that's why they changed their stories or kept quiet?
I don't know, maybe I read to many thrillers and that's why it's harder and harder to please me, or maybe I'm outgrowing YA genre, either way, this story was a miss for me.
On a positive note, I suggest you to check out my RB's, Pavlina's and my better half's-ish, Alex's reviews before dismissing this book completely :).
Happy reading.
Thanks for reading it with me, Pavlina. It's always fun, no matter the outcome :).
July 21, 2019
3.5 Stars
Told in mostly dual POV, 3rd person, it’s the first installment in the "Horrorscape" and ends with a cliffhanger (not a huge one). First of all, I don’t count this book as a horror (given many readers shelved it as one). Actually, it was more like a prologue to the series and as a prologue, it felt a bit too long and slow. Nothing really happened the first 70%, the last 30% was good and thrilling but the twist was obvious from the start. And I liked the writing enough to finish the story. Overall, despite the issues, I had a good time reading this and hope you like it as well!
Told in mostly dual POV, 3rd person, it’s the first installment in the "Horrorscape" and ends with a cliffhanger (not a huge one). First of all, I don’t count this book as a horror (given many readers shelved it as one). Actually, it was more like a prologue to the series and as a prologue, it felt a bit too long and slow. Nothing really happened the first 70%, the last 30% was good and thrilling but the twist was obvious from the start. And I liked the writing enough to finish the story. Overall, despite the issues, I had a good time reading this and hope you like it as well!
August 15, 2014
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Something is obviously wrong here ‘cause I’m not on the same page as most of you on this one. From characters I didn’t like, to dialogue that felt forced, to “terrifying” moments that I felt were kind of a yawn. It just didn’t work for me : (
Here. Let me save you all the trouble of gathering your torches:
In my defense, I will say that I really luuuuuuuuuuuurv psychological thrillers and want them to be as dark as possible. I will also admit that I had exceedingly high (not to mention unfair) expectations that I would enjoy this book since I’m friends with the author and find her to be pretty stinking awesome.
I’m generally fairly strict about not reading self-published work or stuff written by my Goodreads’ friends, but every rule is made to be broken and when I saw Fearscape was up for free on Smashwords I figured there was no time like the present. I also know that neither Nenia or her fans will come and flame this review and will instead simply realize it was a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” when it comes to my opinion of this book. Different strokes for different folks – that’s what makes the world go ‘round. If you like YA a little on the dark side, there’s a good chance you’ll really like this one.
Something is obviously wrong here ‘cause I’m not on the same page as most of you on this one. From characters I didn’t like, to dialogue that felt forced, to “terrifying” moments that I felt were kind of a yawn. It just didn’t work for me : (
Here. Let me save you all the trouble of gathering your torches:
In my defense, I will say that I really luuuuuuuuuuuurv psychological thrillers and want them to be as dark as possible. I will also admit that I had exceedingly high (not to mention unfair) expectations that I would enjoy this book since I’m friends with the author and find her to be pretty stinking awesome.
I’m generally fairly strict about not reading self-published work or stuff written by my Goodreads’ friends, but every rule is made to be broken and when I saw Fearscape was up for free on Smashwords I figured there was no time like the present. I also know that neither Nenia or her fans will come and flame this review and will instead simply realize it was a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” when it comes to my opinion of this book. Different strokes for different folks – that’s what makes the world go ‘round. If you like YA a little on the dark side, there’s a good chance you’ll really like this one.
July 10, 2017
2.55 stars
5 pages into this book and I was contemplating my least cunty action; DNFing it quietly without a rating. Because this is a book about highschool kids, doing highschool stuff in highschool mentality. Hormonally challenged and all. *shudders in distasteful fear* But, decided to give it a decent chance, because I've read another YA book by this author and not only I didn't sprain my brain, but also I secretly enjoyed myself. And I'm glad I did! While I can't completely ignore the annoying teenager parts, the story itself had quite a bit teeth.
Gavin has a great potential as a psycho. I adored his weird arse. Even his rapey "I'M PREDATOR ROAAR" attitude was met with sappy feelings on my side.
Val... She is annoying. Indecisive, inconsistent and if this was a horror movie, I'd kill her first. Fuck the cheerleaders. Still,she has potential to become less annoying.
This quote is one of the reasons I keep going back to reading Nenia's work even though they are mostly YA. Such a human feeling and action, it is probably very familiar to most people. Yet rarely can be found in books, at least not in a non-derisive way. Characters are either too perfect and self assured or too perfect and drowning in self-doubt. But still acting the epitome of the cool, doing bold shite.
Anyways, I wasn't in love, but I liked the book and will read the next one.
5 pages into this book and I was contemplating my least cunty action; DNFing it quietly without a rating. Because this is a book about highschool kids, doing highschool stuff in highschool mentality. Hormonally challenged and all. *shudders in distasteful fear* But, decided to give it a decent chance, because I've read another YA book by this author and not only I didn't sprain my brain, but also I secretly enjoyed myself. And I'm glad I did! While I can't completely ignore the annoying teenager parts, the story itself had quite a bit teeth.
Gavin has a great potential as a psycho. I adored his weird arse. Even his rapey "I'M PREDATOR ROAAR" attitude was met with sappy feelings on my side.
Val... She is annoying. Indecisive, inconsistent and if this was a horror movie, I'd kill her first. Fuck the cheerleaders. Still,she has potential to become less annoying.
The coffee shop was crowded because of the grocery stores nearby. Val waited in line, flipping through her sketchbook to study her drawings, and also secretly hoping that someone walking by might comment, when she was suddenly compelled to look up.
This quote is one of the reasons I keep going back to reading Nenia's work even though they are mostly YA. Such a human feeling and action, it is probably very familiar to most people. Yet rarely can be found in books, at least not in a non-derisive way. Characters are either too perfect and self assured or too perfect and drowning in self-doubt. But still acting the epitome of the cool, doing bold shite.
Anyways, I wasn't in love, but I liked the book and will read the next one.
February 12, 2014
4.5 stars
Might as well get this out into the air:
IkindasortahaveacrushonGavin.
Yes, I know I'm not supposed to like him. He's a twisted psycho who stalks/threatens the protagonist, Val. But there are times when he's just so...hot
Then, he does something creepy.
You see,rape culture society? This is what you have reduced me to. Dangerous guys are romanticized and promoted.
This is why I can relate to Val so much. I understand her struggle and the lure of Gavin. So even when there were signs telling her to GTFO and she blatantly ignored them, I didn't think she was stupid. I sympathized with her. Especially in the end
I also love the numerous parallels Nenia strikes with Val and Gavin's relationship and scenes in the book, like the chess set or the cats. I can probably write an entire essay showing how they relate and play into the book's theme. Everything was deliberate (I can hear my literary teacher droning in my ear) yet it never feels forced or like the author was deliberately trying to show how clever she is by using these literary devices. Yes, The Alchemist, I'm looking at you. Everything flowed with the story and I like that.
The one complaint I have was that it was too short. Though that's probably not really a complaint. That's akin to you saying in a job interview that you're too hard-working. But I would liked to see moresexual tension development of Val and Gavin's relationship. More getting to know each other, more tantalizing hints that he's nutso, but he's a hot nutso so we'll forgive him.
Yeah, I'm still disgusted with myself. (By the way, those pages are from a manga called Mirai Nikki Paradox, a spin-off of the original series Future Diary, Volume 1. Brilliant manga.)
All in all, Fearscape is an amazing read, reminiscent of Stephen King's works and Gone Girl and I highly recommend it.
Psst, Nenia has a huge giveaway coming up on 14/2/2014 and Fearscape is part of it. What better way to spend your Valentine's Day than to cuddle up with a psychotic hottie?
This is probably going to be you by the end of it.
Might as well get this out into the air:
IkindasortahaveacrushonGavin.
Yes, I know I'm not supposed to like him. He's a twisted psycho who stalks/threatens the protagonist, Val. But there are times when he's just so...hot
Then, he does something creepy.
You see,
This is why I can relate to Val so much. I understand her struggle and the lure of Gavin. So even when there were signs telling her to GTFO and she blatantly ignored them, I didn't think she was stupid. I sympathized with her. Especially in the end
I also love the numerous parallels Nenia strikes with Val and Gavin's relationship and scenes in the book, like the chess set or the cats. I can probably write an entire essay showing how they relate and play into the book's theme. Everything was deliberate (I can hear my literary teacher droning in my ear) yet it never feels forced or like the author was deliberately trying to show how clever she is by using these literary devices. Yes, The Alchemist, I'm looking at you. Everything flowed with the story and I like that.
The one complaint I have was that it was too short. Though that's probably not really a complaint. That's akin to you saying in a job interview that you're too hard-working. But I would liked to see more
Yeah, I'm still disgusted with myself. (By the way, those pages are from a manga called Mirai Nikki Paradox, a spin-off of the original series Future Diary, Volume 1. Brilliant manga.)
All in all, Fearscape is an amazing read, reminiscent of Stephen King's works and Gone Girl and I highly recommend it.
Psst, Nenia has a huge giveaway coming up on 14/2/2014 and Fearscape is part of it. What better way to spend your Valentine's Day than to cuddle up with a psychotic hottie?
This is probably going to be you by the end of it.
October 31, 2013
WOW!!!
Don't you just love it when you come across a story that just takes you by surprise...
Gavin at 18, is the school loner. The rest of the school class him as weird and a bit crazy.
Valerian is 14 she has a normal life, she loves to run, has a wonderful way with animals and draws.
But Valerian has a problem.... she is being stalked.
And whoever is stalking her..wants her.... to be his...forever
After a chance meeting at the local pet store she soon becomes fascinated by Gavin who also attends the same art class as her. She has never noticed him before as he fades into the background with his dark clothes and silent personality.
They form this strange friendship, even with her friends starting to worry about this, she continues to have contact with him.
Meanwhile as the stalking continues, who can she trust and why her..
My Thoughts
I loved this, Nenia Campbell has a wonderful way to suck you into this story with the slow build up, the creepiness and of course the ending......
I say the ENDING but its just the BEGINNING
Don't you just love it when you come across a story that just takes you by surprise...
Gavin at 18, is the school loner. The rest of the school class him as weird and a bit crazy.
Valerian is 14 she has a normal life, she loves to run, has a wonderful way with animals and draws.
But Valerian has a problem.... she is being stalked.
And whoever is stalking her..wants her.... to be his...forever
After a chance meeting at the local pet store she soon becomes fascinated by Gavin who also attends the same art class as her. She has never noticed him before as he fades into the background with his dark clothes and silent personality.
They form this strange friendship, even with her friends starting to worry about this, she continues to have contact with him.
Meanwhile as the stalking continues, who can she trust and why her..
My Thoughts
I loved this, Nenia Campbell has a wonderful way to suck you into this story with the slow build up, the creepiness and of course the ending......
I say the ENDING but its just the BEGINNING
August 5, 2014
Dave's Quick Judgement -
THE DEFENSE
- One of the most suspenseful books I've ever read
- Brilliantly entertaining prose, Nenia can turn a phrase like no other
- Val and Gavin are captivating leads
- Real world elements make the story that much more believable, and therefore that much more frightening!
THE PROSECUTION
- Val's complete lack of common sense at times can be infuriating
- Some of the characters' illogical actions (particularly in the last few chapters) are hard to swallow
- Gentler readers may be put off by the more disturbing moments
THE VERDICT
Containing many elements of classic horror movies (including a lead heroine whose bad decisions will prompt you to yell at the screen), "Fearscape" is the perfect book for anyone looking to tingle their spines!
Dave's Much-Wordier Review still to come...
THE DEFENSE
- One of the most suspenseful books I've ever read
- Brilliantly entertaining prose, Nenia can turn a phrase like no other
- Val and Gavin are captivating leads
- Real world elements make the story that much more believable, and therefore that much more frightening!
THE PROSECUTION
- Val's complete lack of common sense at times can be infuriating
- Some of the characters' illogical actions (particularly in the last few chapters) are hard to swallow
- Gentler readers may be put off by the more disturbing moments
THE VERDICT
Containing many elements of classic horror movies (including a lead heroine whose bad decisions will prompt you to yell at the screen), "Fearscape" is the perfect book for anyone looking to tingle their spines!
Dave's Much-Wordier Review still to come...
September 6, 2013
4 Crazy WTF did I read stars....
"Because I've decided that if I can't have you, nobody else shall, either.
I'm waiting for you."
Valerian is a sweet innocent freshman.
She goes to Petville to play with the animals and meets Gavin who works there. She is captivated by him.....
She gets home and has a creepy facebook message from a stalker....She decides to ignore it for now.
She keeps getting messages from crazy guy...
She really likes Gavin but things start seeming weird so she wonders if Gavin may be her stalker??
She eventually gets confronted by her stalker and luckily gets away from him.
But now she's scared to go anywhere.
The story wraps up but then it also leaves you hanging for what is to come next...
"Because I've decided that if I can't have you, nobody else shall, either.
I'm waiting for you."
Valerian is a sweet innocent freshman.
She goes to Petville to play with the animals and meets Gavin who works there. She is captivated by him.....
She gets home and has a creepy facebook message from a stalker....She decides to ignore it for now.
She keeps getting messages from crazy guy...
She really likes Gavin but things start seeming weird so she wonders if Gavin may be her stalker??
She eventually gets confronted by her stalker and luckily gets away from him.
But now she's scared to go anywhere.
The story wraps up but then it also leaves you hanging for what is to come next...
Read
January 2, 2018This book was… twisted. But, like, in a truly realistic way. Before I review in detail (because I have a lot of random feelings I will go on to divulge) I would like to point out the author so graciously gave me a free copy of this book of which has been sitting on my TBR for months & I finally had an opportunity to read. Side note: to my younger friends on GR this book is a bit disturbing and while it is YA, it is… it’s hard to describe. Not really a love story (more like a stalker story) and some very dark moments.
Now, for the review:
So everyone who follows me or has interacted with me at some point probably knows I have a “bad boy/villain” obsession. Not to say I can't root for a good guy, but 95% of time I choose the villain. I read mostly YA, and some NA, and in every single book I read: if the author portrays his or her villain as attractive, at some point that character will become redeemable. That is why it is always safe to pick the bad boy. With Fearscape that is not the case.
I’ll be honest, I read Nenia’s review so I knew this was going to be bad for me. Not a bad book but in that I knew she was going to take my favorite hot, brooding love interest trope and force me to face reality. I’ve had discussions with one of my book besties, Monica, about how it is easy to forgive fantasy villains but not “real life” feeling ones because it hits too close to home. Because real life they aren’t redeemable. Monica, of course, has reminded me on multiple occasions that none of them should be redeemable: if a hot guy is a "jerk but sometimes nice" that shouldn't make him okay, if he "kidnaps you but truly loves you," etc . True, I admit, but I root for the bad ones anyway. So with Fearscape I was prepared to accept my friend Monica's POV. I did not know Nenia would make Gavin so equally compelling and disturbing I felt like a crazy person reading the book. Real villains aren’t black or white, and she made sure to make him gray –not “redeemable” gray, the kind of gray that is akin to Stockholm Syndrome. Or Sylar. Remember him in Heroes? That dude was a true villain (at least in first season I watched) and yet everytime he came on screen I wasn’t focused on his killings, I just wanted him to be redeemed so I could see more of his sexy face on camera. Wrong, disturbing on so many levels, why??? Because if you find yourself attracted to the villain he has to be redeemable, right?
Because otherwise what does that make you?
And he was hot.
Yea, this book makes you think. And it made me feel like a freshman in high school. When you are unsure of yourself and new to the whole scene and some hot guy pays attention to and if he asked you over and he’s super hot would you go over? Would you ignore certain bad signals if he had that crooked smile and sexy, arrogant way of speaking? I read Nenia’s review about thinking of Edward from Twilight and how manipulative/etc. he was and what would happen if he weren’t a vampire. I think she nailed it. It’s easy to ignore a villain you don’t have feelings for. One that’s pretty? Not so much.
Alright, so let’s talk Gavin. Not only is there the villain/bad boy love interest but there is basically no other (I don’t count her friend’s friend, what’s-his-face that didn’t reply to facebook messages until too late) so my poor romantic heart was trapped. And then he looks like a toned hot hipster-that spouts all that “I’m the hunter” dialogue which I have a total weakness for (yes, you can blame Julian in The Forbidden Game for that, I wrote really bad fan-fic about that boy for YEARS). Or lines like this: “Careful, if you keep blushing like that, I may do more than just draw you.” Or like those creepy but hot lines, you know, you don’t want to like them but you do: “But then, what if she wants to be hurt? What if, like a flint to tinder, I can coax her to flame? To burn for me, and only me?” >> yes, Val, I share your conflicting pain.
Look, I found a hipster Sylar (which is, yes, basically Gavin in my head):
My heart is torn. My head says no. My heart says no. But you are still hot. And you spout all that "wolf/prey” stuff, that is wrong on so many levels but I still find hot. But you are also disturbing. Therefore I hate you. I don’t know how I feel. I will say his characterization was perfect. He played his dark, disturbing role perfectly –the way he talked, moved, his diary entries, everything.
My other notes:
* Very predictable. But I don’t think the reader was ever intended not to suspect Gavin or most of the events. This book felt more like a teen horror movie: “oh, don’t do that,” “run from him, don’t stay” -but like Val, the reader kind of finds themselves curious and wants her to get in stupid heroine situations so there can be more scenes with Gavin.
* Ending bit with Gavin attack was anti-climactic . I was hoping for a bit more fighting after the whole book building up to it. But then we did get an unexpected bit with the art room so that kind of made up for it.
* The “epilogue” ending.
* Val (main character) – Stupid beyond measure. Her obsession with cats annoyed me. I love cats but chasing kittens and visiting a pet shop at 14 made her feel very juvenile. But I think her stupidity and naïvete was intentional to plot. Also, dumb girl didn’t tell anyone and kept pursuing danger at every turn Random - Val's bit with the animals & her innocence reminded me of Jenny from The Forbidden Game.
* Side characters: MOM: She wins “worst parent ever” award for not calling cops over messages and not forcing daughter to delete accounts and/or possibly change schools. Those messages were so disturbing.
they both annoyed me but I get that this was kind of like the horror movies where stupid furthers the plot, I just wish it could have gone differently (just block the guy/coach didn’t report locker defacing to parents/parents let her hang out with older guy/she doesn’t report attack because of not wanting embarrassed. COACH: WHY THE HELL DIDN’T YOU REPORT LOCKER ATTACK TO VAL’S PARENTS? MAKES NO SENSE. NO TEACHER WOULD NOT REPORT THAT. Friends –none memorable/likable.
* Fast-paced, not too descriptive, key lines for dialogue that I loved (seriously, can’t get enough of hunter/prey analogies), only 153 pages I read this on my breaks and after work & finished pretty quick. I kept wanting to see if somehow I was mistaken and
Overall? 4 stars. Did I love Gavin the way I love most bad boys? Wanted to, but couldn't. Instead I'm conflicted, darn you Nenia. I thought he was twisted and a villain that really does scare me, not just hot but SCARY and that was a lot of fun. This book felt like a YA horror-thriller for me. Am I curious as hell to see how this series plays out? Yes. Because a part of me refuses to give up on redemption even though it really is far gone after the art room scene. That bit about emancipation due to abuse? Typical bad boy abuse trope and yet I am a sucker for it. Not in real life, but in books, yes. I don't think Nenia will redeem him though, just make one hell of a messed up twisted thriller. And I am perfectly down with that.
Now, for the review:
So everyone who follows me or has interacted with me at some point probably knows I have a “bad boy/villain” obsession. Not to say I can't root for a good guy, but 95% of time I choose the villain. I read mostly YA, and some NA, and in every single book I read: if the author portrays his or her villain as attractive, at some point that character will become redeemable. That is why it is always safe to pick the bad boy. With Fearscape that is not the case.
I’ll be honest, I read Nenia’s review so I knew this was going to be bad for me. Not a bad book but in that I knew she was going to take my favorite hot, brooding love interest trope and force me to face reality. I’ve had discussions with one of my book besties, Monica, about how it is easy to forgive fantasy villains but not “real life” feeling ones because it hits too close to home. Because real life they aren’t redeemable. Monica, of course, has reminded me on multiple occasions that none of them should be redeemable: if a hot guy is a "jerk but sometimes nice" that shouldn't make him okay, if he "kidnaps you but truly loves you," etc . True, I admit, but I root for the bad ones anyway. So with Fearscape I was prepared to accept my friend Monica's POV. I did not know Nenia would make Gavin so equally compelling and disturbing I felt like a crazy person reading the book. Real villains aren’t black or white, and she made sure to make him gray –not “redeemable” gray, the kind of gray that is akin to Stockholm Syndrome. Or Sylar. Remember him in Heroes? That dude was a true villain (at least in first season I watched) and yet everytime he came on screen I wasn’t focused on his killings, I just wanted him to be redeemed so I could see more of his sexy face on camera. Wrong, disturbing on so many levels, why??? Because if you find yourself attracted to the villain he has to be redeemable, right?
Because otherwise what does that make you?
And he was hot.
Yea, this book makes you think. And it made me feel like a freshman in high school. When you are unsure of yourself and new to the whole scene and some hot guy pays attention to and if he asked you over and he’s super hot would you go over? Would you ignore certain bad signals if he had that crooked smile and sexy, arrogant way of speaking? I read Nenia’s review about thinking of Edward from Twilight and how manipulative/etc. he was and what would happen if he weren’t a vampire. I think she nailed it. It’s easy to ignore a villain you don’t have feelings for. One that’s pretty? Not so much.
Alright, so let’s talk Gavin. Not only is there the villain/bad boy love interest but there is basically no other (I don’t count her friend’s friend, what’s-his-face that didn’t reply to facebook messages until too late) so my poor romantic heart was trapped. And then he looks like a toned hot hipster-that spouts all that “I’m the hunter” dialogue which I have a total weakness for (yes, you can blame Julian in The Forbidden Game for that, I wrote really bad fan-fic about that boy for YEARS). Or lines like this: “Careful, if you keep blushing like that, I may do more than just draw you.” Or like those creepy but hot lines, you know, you don’t want to like them but you do: “But then, what if she wants to be hurt? What if, like a flint to tinder, I can coax her to flame? To burn for me, and only me?” >> yes, Val, I share your conflicting pain.
Look, I found a hipster Sylar (which is, yes, basically Gavin in my head):
My heart is torn. My head says no. My heart says no. But you are still hot. And you spout all that "wolf/prey” stuff, that is wrong on so many levels but I still find hot. But you are also disturbing. Therefore I hate you. I don’t know how I feel. I will say his characterization was perfect. He played his dark, disturbing role perfectly –the way he talked, moved, his diary entries, everything.
My other notes:
* Very predictable. But I don’t think the reader was ever intended not to suspect Gavin or most of the events. This book felt more like a teen horror movie: “oh, don’t do that,” “run from him, don’t stay” -but like Val, the reader kind of finds themselves curious and wants her to get in stupid heroine situations so there can be more scenes with Gavin.
* Ending bit with Gavin attack was anti-climactic . I was hoping for a bit more fighting after the whole book building up to it. But then we did get an unexpected bit with the art room so that kind of made up for it.
* The “epilogue” ending.
* Val (main character) – Stupid beyond measure. Her obsession with cats annoyed me. I love cats but chasing kittens and visiting a pet shop at 14 made her feel very juvenile. But I think her stupidity and naïvete was intentional to plot. Also, dumb girl didn’t tell anyone and kept pursuing danger at every turn Random - Val's bit with the animals & her innocence reminded me of Jenny from The Forbidden Game.
* Side characters: MOM: She wins “worst parent ever” award for not calling cops over messages and not forcing daughter to delete accounts and/or possibly change schools. Those messages were so disturbing.
they both annoyed me but I get that this was kind of like the horror movies where stupid furthers the plot, I just wish it could have gone differently (just block the guy/coach didn’t report locker defacing to parents/parents let her hang out with older guy/she doesn’t report attack because of not wanting embarrassed. COACH: WHY THE HELL DIDN’T YOU REPORT LOCKER ATTACK TO VAL’S PARENTS? MAKES NO SENSE. NO TEACHER WOULD NOT REPORT THAT. Friends –none memorable/likable.
* Fast-paced, not too descriptive, key lines for dialogue that I loved (seriously, can’t get enough of hunter/prey analogies), only 153 pages I read this on my breaks and after work & finished pretty quick. I kept wanting to see if somehow I was mistaken and
Overall? 4 stars. Did I love Gavin the way I love most bad boys? Wanted to, but couldn't. Instead I'm conflicted, darn you Nenia. I thought he was twisted and a villain that really does scare me, not just hot but SCARY and that was a lot of fun. This book felt like a YA horror-thriller for me. Am I curious as hell to see how this series plays out? Yes. Because a part of me refuses to give up on redemption even though it really is far gone after the art room scene. That bit about emancipation due to abuse? Typical bad boy abuse trope and yet I am a sucker for it. Not in real life, but in books, yes. I don't think Nenia will redeem him though, just make one hell of a messed up twisted thriller. And I am perfectly down with that.
August 28, 2013
“You've never even been kissed before, have you?”
Val let out a small gasp when he moved down her throat and she felt the sting of his teeth in her earlobe. It made her shudder and she felt the puffs of his breathy laughter. “You're so innocent.” And the sibilant words tickled unpleasantly when he whispered into her ear, “You should run from me while you can.”
She was breathing too hard and to her chagrin it wasn't entirely from fear. “Or what?”
The smile he gave her as he pulled away was like an arrow in her heart. “I catch you.”
OH.MY.TOO.GOODY.GOOD.GOD !!!!!
Excuse me while I try and get my pending panic attack under control .....
........
.......
.......
Alright , now that I can breathe okay I have to say .... WHY DIDN'T I READ THIS SERIES EARLIER !! I mean , for Christ sake this book has been idle in my kindle app for a really looooooooooong time !
Time to be honest here .. I heard this series was totally a YA and since I love reading Smut and a whole lot of it , I just thought this one wouldn't be 'it' for me ..
BUT
I WAS SO WRONG !!!
Fearscape has to be one of the best obsessive stalker stories out there . I'll tell you why . Usually , when someone decides to write stories about psychotic stalkers , the age group they usually focus on is somewhere between 27+ and more .. But our stalker here ... * insert evil laugh here * well , he just isn't one of them . Infact , considering how old he is .. I gotta say that his thoughts are highly disturbing !
Fearscape is the story of 14 year old Valerian .. Valerian may be 14 , but she is very mature for her age . she is pretty retrospective and a tad bit observant . And she loves animals ,and they love her . Sweet , simple and totally down to earth . Probably the only girl who can befriend a guy nicknamed ' The hit list guy ' ... What could go wrong with someone like that right ? Well , what starts off as some mystery stalker games quickly turns into an obsession so dark and thrilling that one could totally feel it seeping into their bones and freezing the crap out of you ! Like seriously !!!
And lets not forget the dark and brooding Gavin Mecozzi , a.k.a The Hit List Guy .. There is a pretty cool story as to why he is called that .. But I wont be getting into it now .. Gavin is the guy no one talks to and he doesn't give a shit about it , Gavin and Valerian share a common interest , their love for art . Its because of this that they end up becoming friends . But there is an underlying tone to Gavin's personality . Something that is reflected in his eyes , something that tends to drip from the way he talks . Something that can be felt from his touch ... Is it all just Valerian's imagination or is she missing something here ?? You'll need to find that out on your own ...
Honestly speaking , I think what makes Fearscape tick is the fact that it is entirely based on the concept of fear .. Or should I say the 'Anticipation of fear' .
See , Nenia Campbell's story weaving technique is darn right simple but very effective .. Throughout the story , or more like - right from the start , she keeps the reader active and alert by pointing out the fact that there is something/someone out there to get you .. Its all quiet , just like a-storm-brewing quiet and then BAM! the first wave hits the reader . The stalker is introduced into the story .. he leaves subtle hints , giving time to figure things out on your own and then everything is smooth sailing again only to be hit again , but this time with even more force than before ...
And the genius part of it all ... She wants you to know who the stalker is .. Nope , she doesn't want you to play the guessing game . The answers are right.fucking.there ! All you have to do is just accept it ... Very much like the stalker in this book ..
“Let's not play games, Val. We both know that you read the journal — but you never stopped to consider the fact that I might want you to find it.”
Ignorance is bliss , isn't it ..? What you don't know , cant hurt you .. But what if you knew that there is something , someone out there .. Waiting .. Waiting for a chance to strike , a chance to pounce and devour you . A chance to hurt you or those close to you ..
Fearscape is a maze . A maze of limitless mind games and unwarranted needs .
Questions questions everywhere , but very few answers ... How does one decide that a particular object or being is worth obsessing over ? What are the heights one is willing to climb to get what he/she wants ? Is love any different from Obsession , or is it one and the same ?
And lets just say the story has just began , because ...
I cant wait to see where things go from here ... !
P.S : This song was on repeat mode when I was reading this book .. I think it kinda fits ...
The Veils - Vicious Traditions
This book is a TOTAL MUST READ !!
Val let out a small gasp when he moved down her throat and she felt the sting of his teeth in her earlobe. It made her shudder and she felt the puffs of his breathy laughter. “You're so innocent.” And the sibilant words tickled unpleasantly when he whispered into her ear, “You should run from me while you can.”
She was breathing too hard and to her chagrin it wasn't entirely from fear. “Or what?”
The smile he gave her as he pulled away was like an arrow in her heart. “I catch you.”
OH.MY.TOO.GOODY.GOOD.GOD !!!!!
Excuse me while I try and get my pending panic attack under control .....
........
.......
.......
Alright , now that I can breathe okay I have to say .... WHY DIDN'T I READ THIS SERIES EARLIER !! I mean , for Christ sake this book has been idle in my kindle app for a really looooooooooong time !
Time to be honest here .. I heard this series was totally a YA and since I love reading Smut and a whole lot of it , I just thought this one wouldn't be 'it' for me ..
BUT
I WAS SO WRONG !!!
Fearscape has to be one of the best obsessive stalker stories out there . I'll tell you why . Usually , when someone decides to write stories about psychotic stalkers , the age group they usually focus on is somewhere between 27+ and more .. But our stalker here ... * insert evil laugh here * well , he just isn't one of them . Infact , considering how old he is .. I gotta say that his thoughts are highly disturbing !
Fearscape is the story of 14 year old Valerian .. Valerian may be 14 , but she is very mature for her age . she is pretty retrospective and a tad bit observant . And she loves animals ,and they love her . Sweet , simple and totally down to earth . Probably the only girl who can befriend a guy nicknamed ' The hit list guy ' ... What could go wrong with someone like that right ? Well , what starts off as some mystery stalker games quickly turns into an obsession so dark and thrilling that one could totally feel it seeping into their bones and freezing the crap out of you ! Like seriously !!!
And lets not forget the dark and brooding Gavin Mecozzi , a.k.a The Hit List Guy .. There is a pretty cool story as to why he is called that .. But I wont be getting into it now .. Gavin is the guy no one talks to and he doesn't give a shit about it , Gavin and Valerian share a common interest , their love for art . Its because of this that they end up becoming friends . But there is an underlying tone to Gavin's personality . Something that is reflected in his eyes , something that tends to drip from the way he talks . Something that can be felt from his touch ... Is it all just Valerian's imagination or is she missing something here ?? You'll need to find that out on your own ...
Honestly speaking , I think what makes Fearscape tick is the fact that it is entirely based on the concept of fear .. Or should I say the 'Anticipation of fear' .
See , Nenia Campbell's story weaving technique is darn right simple but very effective .. Throughout the story , or more like - right from the start , she keeps the reader active and alert by pointing out the fact that there is something/someone out there to get you .. Its all quiet , just like a-storm-brewing quiet and then BAM! the first wave hits the reader . The stalker is introduced into the story .. he leaves subtle hints , giving time to figure things out on your own and then everything is smooth sailing again only to be hit again , but this time with even more force than before ...
And the genius part of it all ... She wants you to know who the stalker is .. Nope , she doesn't want you to play the guessing game . The answers are right.fucking.there ! All you have to do is just accept it ... Very much like the stalker in this book ..
“Let's not play games, Val. We both know that you read the journal — but you never stopped to consider the fact that I might want you to find it.”
Ignorance is bliss , isn't it ..? What you don't know , cant hurt you .. But what if you knew that there is something , someone out there .. Waiting .. Waiting for a chance to strike , a chance to pounce and devour you . A chance to hurt you or those close to you ..
Fearscape is a maze . A maze of limitless mind games and unwarranted needs .
Questions questions everywhere , but very few answers ... How does one decide that a particular object or being is worth obsessing over ? What are the heights one is willing to climb to get what he/she wants ? Is love any different from Obsession , or is it one and the same ?
And lets just say the story has just began , because ...
I cant wait to see where things go from here ... !
P.S : This song was on repeat mode when I was reading this book .. I think it kinda fits ...
The Veils - Vicious Traditions
This book is a TOTAL MUST READ !!
July 3, 2013
"You can't escape from me, Valerian. I want you- and very soon I intend to catch you. To cage you. To make you mine. Forever."
I don't know about you but if I was fourteen and received a message like this from a stalker I would run to the hills screaming. This book is a slow build-up of creepy. Val feels like she's being watched, and receives disturbing messages and notes from a stalker. Val doesn't tell anyone about this until one day when things begin to escalate. I wish Val had told someone, like an adult, right away about the stalker but alas she learns the hard way that you do in fact get burned when you play with fire.
Gavin
"Just remember," he told her. "If you run from me, I will pursue."
Gavin is a complete psychopath, we don't learn much about his past or life, but I know enough to wish that my nieces never meet any guy like Gavin in high school. Right away Val feels drawn to Gavin. Every time she spoke to him in my head I kept screaming "Run!!" "You should run from me while you can." See? Even the bad guy warns her to get away from him. His messages and comments to Val were sometimes downright inappropriate and chilling. In short, he is obsessed with her. This was all made more creepy by the fact that she is only fourteen years old. With all this said, I didn't dislike Gavin, sure he is a head case but there is just something about him that gets under your skin. I actually felt sorry for him.
Instead of staying away from Gavin, Val does the opposite, and becomes a pawn in Gavin's twisted game. You see Gavin is a chess master, and he knows the exact moves to make to get under Val's skin. "He had her trapped, and he had carefully planned each and every bar of the prison she now found herself in."
We know by the end of the book that there will definitely be more of Gavin's mind games with Val, and I'm looking forward to this.
"I can make you feel whatever I want."
Rating: 4 Sociopathic Stars
I don't know about you but if I was fourteen and received a message like this from a stalker I would run to the hills screaming. This book is a slow build-up of creepy. Val feels like she's being watched, and receives disturbing messages and notes from a stalker. Val doesn't tell anyone about this until one day when things begin to escalate. I wish Val had told someone, like an adult, right away about the stalker but alas she learns the hard way that you do in fact get burned when you play with fire.
Gavin
"Just remember," he told her. "If you run from me, I will pursue."
Gavin is a complete psychopath, we don't learn much about his past or life, but I know enough to wish that my nieces never meet any guy like Gavin in high school. Right away Val feels drawn to Gavin. Every time she spoke to him in my head I kept screaming "Run!!" "You should run from me while you can." See? Even the bad guy warns her to get away from him. His messages and comments to Val were sometimes downright inappropriate and chilling. In short, he is obsessed with her. This was all made more creepy by the fact that she is only fourteen years old. With all this said, I didn't dislike Gavin, sure he is a head case but there is just something about him that gets under your skin. I actually felt sorry for him.
Instead of staying away from Gavin, Val does the opposite, and becomes a pawn in Gavin's twisted game. You see Gavin is a chess master, and he knows the exact moves to make to get under Val's skin. "He had her trapped, and he had carefully planned each and every bar of the prison she now found herself in."
We know by the end of the book that there will definitely be more of Gavin's mind games with Val, and I'm looking forward to this.
"I can make you feel whatever I want."
Rating: 4 Sociopathic Stars
June 25, 2013
Just so that people know as a disclaimer before I start in this reflection: yep - the author is one of my GR friends/supercool posse but that had no bearing on my enjoyment or honest reflection on the book.
To discuss what "Fearscape" is about - it's a love story gone horribly wrong. By horrible, I mean of the creepy stalker harasser variety, not of the kind that you see where a young lady pines over a bad boy and desires him despite his abrasive tendencies. I wouldn't say along the lines of "Twilight" or "Hush Hush". Rather, this is the kind of story where the girl actually realizes "Dude...this guy is sick", and has to fight to get out of his circles. Valerian Kimble, a.k.a. Val, is a 14 year old track runner who happens to be drawn into a relationship with her 18-year old art TA, Gavin. The way the story unfolds is a little rocky to start, proceeding what seems like your typical lust of a dark brooding presence. The signs are there from just about everyone in Val's circles noting that Gavin isn't what he seems, and capable of doing harm. Only Val does not know completely, at first, how deep his obsession runs.
I think in retrospect, I wished there were a little more development of the surrounding characters, though for what the narrative showed, they served the story for its purpose. I think Val's relationship with her mother and circle of friends, even relationship with Lisa, did well to shape the plot.
I think most going into this novel would probably have no mystery of saying "Oh, Gavin's the obvious bad guy, you silly girl - stay away from him." The experience is akin to yelling at the TV screen during a horror movie and saying "Don't go into that room, the killer's right there!" I'll admit that while I liked turns of the dialogue and while I felt that Val sounded like a normal 14 year old girl in relations to her friends and family, her naivete did grate on me a little more than I would've liked. But it does set up how someone with Val's youth and mindset could be drawn in and think that a dangerous relationship might seem alluring, but becomes something darker and quite scary.
I liked the imagery of the chess game as a parallel to what Val and Gavin's relationship was, especially with how it ties to how Gavin could manipulate the situation and outcome to his advantage. The section with his journals was illuminating and scary in turns, but I also think it was a little info heavy and made the otherwise fluid presentation of the prose slow down a bit. It picks up with the revelations Val gains from that, though, and she struggles to get out of the nightmare that she's found herself within. Gavin is a sick mind and when Val's repulsed by him, she's repulsed for good reason. Some of the things he does to her made me just...argh. :( It took me out of my comfort zone which was what the narrative purported to do. I'll admit it had me tensing and wincing up to the end, where the story does provide some closure, at least to the next stage of where Val's life turns, but it is rushed and doesn't vet some of the complexities of the legal cracks and other things that led to the outcome. I appreciated the effort though, and it was an engaging story, particularly for me to follow it and see where it goes and how Val grows from the point this story ends on.
Overall score: 3/5
To discuss what "Fearscape" is about - it's a love story gone horribly wrong. By horrible, I mean of the creepy stalker harasser variety, not of the kind that you see where a young lady pines over a bad boy and desires him despite his abrasive tendencies. I wouldn't say along the lines of "Twilight" or "Hush Hush". Rather, this is the kind of story where the girl actually realizes "Dude...this guy is sick", and has to fight to get out of his circles. Valerian Kimble, a.k.a. Val, is a 14 year old track runner who happens to be drawn into a relationship with her 18-year old art TA, Gavin. The way the story unfolds is a little rocky to start, proceeding what seems like your typical lust of a dark brooding presence. The signs are there from just about everyone in Val's circles noting that Gavin isn't what he seems, and capable of doing harm. Only Val does not know completely, at first, how deep his obsession runs.
I think in retrospect, I wished there were a little more development of the surrounding characters, though for what the narrative showed, they served the story for its purpose. I think Val's relationship with her mother and circle of friends, even relationship with Lisa, did well to shape the plot.
I think most going into this novel would probably have no mystery of saying "Oh, Gavin's the obvious bad guy, you silly girl - stay away from him." The experience is akin to yelling at the TV screen during a horror movie and saying "Don't go into that room, the killer's right there!" I'll admit that while I liked turns of the dialogue and while I felt that Val sounded like a normal 14 year old girl in relations to her friends and family, her naivete did grate on me a little more than I would've liked. But it does set up how someone with Val's youth and mindset could be drawn in and think that a dangerous relationship might seem alluring, but becomes something darker and quite scary.
I liked the imagery of the chess game as a parallel to what Val and Gavin's relationship was, especially with how it ties to how Gavin could manipulate the situation and outcome to his advantage. The section with his journals was illuminating and scary in turns, but I also think it was a little info heavy and made the otherwise fluid presentation of the prose slow down a bit. It picks up with the revelations Val gains from that, though, and she struggles to get out of the nightmare that she's found herself within. Gavin is a sick mind and when Val's repulsed by him, she's repulsed for good reason. Some of the things he does to her made me just...argh. :( It took me out of my comfort zone which was what the narrative purported to do. I'll admit it had me tensing and wincing up to the end, where the story does provide some closure, at least to the next stage of where Val's life turns, but it is rushed and doesn't vet some of the complexities of the legal cracks and other things that led to the outcome. I appreciated the effort though, and it was an engaging story, particularly for me to follow it and see where it goes and how Val grows from the point this story ends on.
Overall score: 3/5
September 4, 2013
4 ½ Crazy Boy Crush Stars
I found this one pretty nerve wrecking, intense and haunting. It is told in the third person pov and was scary but oh so captivating.
The main character is a fourteen year old girl, named Valerian Kimble. (Please note that in the next book she is a senior and in the third she will be a college student.) She has a stalker. She also finds a senior at her school pretty damn alluring his name is Gavin Mecozzi. While juggling friends,a new school, her grades and her attraction to Gavin, Val's stalker seems to be everywhere.
”Valerian, I want you – and very soon I intend to catch you. To cage you. To make you mine. Forever.”
So here’s the thing…this book left me feeling crazy because I really wanted more of the stalker and umm I found him dark, mysterious and I've been dreaming of a hea for them. Yeah I need help because he is one sick puppy!
”But I suspect there’s a bit of femme fatale in you, as well. Why else would you pursue your own pursuer, if not to satisfy your own baser instincts.”
On that note, onto the next book because I'm pretty sure that I’m going to regret my crazy boy crush…
”I’ve been hunting you this whole time, waiting for you to stray from the path. But you – you came into the woods after me.”
I found this one pretty nerve wrecking, intense and haunting. It is told in the third person pov and was scary but oh so captivating.
The main character is a fourteen year old girl, named Valerian Kimble. (Please note that in the next book she is a senior and in the third she will be a college student.) She has a stalker. She also finds a senior at her school pretty damn alluring his name is Gavin Mecozzi. While juggling friends,a new school, her grades and her attraction to Gavin, Val's stalker seems to be everywhere.
”Valerian, I want you – and very soon I intend to catch you. To cage you. To make you mine. Forever.”
So here’s the thing…this book left me feeling crazy because I really wanted more of the stalker and umm I found him dark, mysterious and I've been dreaming of a hea for them. Yeah I need help because he is one sick puppy!
”But I suspect there’s a bit of femme fatale in you, as well. Why else would you pursue your own pursuer, if not to satisfy your own baser instincts.”
On that note, onto the next book because I'm pretty sure that I’m going to regret my crazy boy crush…
”I’ve been hunting you this whole time, waiting for you to stray from the path. But you – you came into the woods after me.”
October 27, 2013
**Halloween Week Read** Last year I read Captive in the Dark & Seduced in the Dark with a group of friends for Halloween. Horrorscape series is this year's read.
Val is a freshman in highschool and unbeknownst to her she has caught the eye of a stalker. His unhealthy interest in her grows as the school year progresses. He becomes bolder in his pursuit of owning her.
The Stalker sees Val as a challenge and something to own. She's his plaything, possession and prisoner .
SERIES:
Continuing story.
Val is a freshman in highschool and unbeknownst to her she has caught the eye of a stalker. His unhealthy interest in her grows as the school year progresses. He becomes bolder in his pursuit of owning her.
The Stalker sees Val as a challenge and something to own. She's his plaything, possession and prisoner .
Not all poison was bitter - some of the deadliest poisons in the world tasted sweet.
I'm waiting for you. -The Stalker
SERIES:
Continuing story.
January 12, 2016
“Just remember,” he told her. “If you run from me, I will pursue.”
Oh god,this was one of the creepiest books I've read this year. I came across the author of this book few days ago,and when I read the blurb of Fearscape,I just had to read this book.
A book with a dark,twisted and crazy plot?I'm totally in.
The beginning of the book was really captivating.It felt like some kind of horror movie when Val started getting those unknown notes from that crazy stalker.
The characters are pretty amazing. I really liked Val's character,she was pretty cool.And Gavin,it may sound odd but I really loved his character.The way he thought and acted;completely mysterious,and because of that I always looked forward to his scenes.And the best part of the book was when I got to read his thoughts,this guy couldn't be more creepier that I imagined.Also,I loved Gavin and Val together,their scenes were really amazing.
The ending was brilliant.Even though I had suspected something like that would happen,the scenes still managed to shock me.The epilogue was obvious,I didn't expect anything less from Gavin.I am looking forward to read the rest of the books of this series!!
Oh god,this was one of the creepiest books I've read this year. I came across the author of this book few days ago,and when I read the blurb of Fearscape,I just had to read this book.
A book with a dark,twisted and crazy plot?I'm totally in.
The beginning of the book was really captivating.It felt like some kind of horror movie when Val started getting those unknown notes from that crazy stalker.
The characters are pretty amazing. I really liked Val's character,she was pretty cool.And Gavin,it may sound odd but I really loved his character.The way he thought and acted;completely mysterious,and because of that I always looked forward to his scenes.And the best part of the book was when I got to read his thoughts,this guy couldn't be more creepier that I imagined.Also,I loved Gavin and Val together,their scenes were really amazing.
The ending was brilliant.Even though I had suspected something like that would happen,the scenes still managed to shock me.The epilogue was obvious,I didn't expect anything less from Gavin.I am looking forward to read the rest of the books of this series!!
September 2, 2013
Wow!! What the fuck was that??? Damn my mind is still reeling from that mind fuck. I so fell in love with Gavin but JC, seriously??
He broke my heart. :-( I normally steer clear of Young Adult books but shit....I sincerely loved this book!
He broke my heart. :-( I normally steer clear of Young Adult books but shit....I sincerely loved this book!
August 23, 2013
Valerian Kimble, our heroine, seems our everyday 14 years old.
She is part of the track team and many times she feels unnoticed, if she isn't in her uniform.
But when she is running, it's exhilarating! And she is good at it.
But lately she feels like she is being watched, scrutinized...like someone is hiding in the shadows.
When she founds in her locker a rose with a note, she is now certain that she have a stalker. Someone set on own her, make her his possession.
In all of this, she meets Gavin, a senior in her high school. A loner, a person most people stay away from. But she can't helped but feel drawn to him. And it seems he is interested in her too.
He didn't seem crazy,though.
Weird,yes.
Interesting,yes.
Dangerous, definitely.
Crazy,no.
While the notes and threats of the stalker continues to haunt her and frighten her , she keeps wondering about her complex attraction to Gavin. The more she knows about him, the more she wonders his intentions and if he can be the one is tormenting her.
The walls are closing in and the game so close to check mate ...
You can't escape from me, Valerian. I want you - and very soon I intend to catch you. To make you mine. Forever.
*************
What to say about this book?
Yes, this story is DARK, DISTURBING, CREEPY AND BRILLIANT! An emotion MINDF*CK!
I loved the whole vibe of the book...the atmosphere of the novel is haunting...it sucks you in and while the intensity increases, you can't just stop reading it! It's definitely a turn pager.
It actually remind me a lot of Gothic novels, that feel to it, the mystery, the danger and how the heroine keeps get caught in that web.
And the stalker? Phantom of the Opera came to my mind ;)
Besides the story, I got to say that I fall in love with the writing! It's soooooo GOOD! It's poetic, it's intense, it's disturbing (yep, I'm talking about the journal)and it's terrific.
I caught myself fascinated by Gavin ,like a moth to a flame. I think we want to believe in the whole tortured soul that can be saved
Now I can't wait to read Horrorscape!!
For this one and more reviews go to:
A Bookworm Confessions
January 15, 2024
If you know me, you know I love dissecting fantasies and fear, especially where they intersect. Somehow my 2023 reading choices have situated me right in the liminal space between horror and romance. And I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. So when I saw author Nenia Campbell's Instagram reel about her excessively bleak dark romance series (Horrorscape) featuring a MMC with no redeeming qualities, I was immediately sold.
Amidst a rough November and a reading slump, Fearscape was exactly what I needed and I LOVED it. It was horror, 100%. But also treading that line between desire and terror. I absolutely devoured it.
Disclaimer: I like READING and ANALYZING really, really dark romance. I do not condone this stuff IRL. GUYS--DO. NOT. DO. THIS. FUCKED. UP. SHIT. Girls do not want this, we just want to READ about it. THANK YOU.
Summary:
High school. Mysterious, dangerous misfit stalks and traumatizes track/art goody-two-shoes girlie, teaches her how to play chess.
Review:
Remember that creepy, very off-putting but kinda weirdly hot outcast from high school (I know we all had one) - Gavin is that guy.
Though this book is not a slasher, Val is a quintessential Final Girl. Innocent, naive, overly sweet--only to be transformed from grappling with a monster.
Gavin is not a romantic hero; the dude is undeniably disturbed. As a reader, I'm rooting for Val, not for Val + Gavin. Nevertheless, their dynamic absolutely captivated (and disturbed) me. (And, honestly, Gavin's creepy diary entries were kind of my favorite part of the book).
In a lot of ways, this book was actually very similar to Twilight. Except, instead of romanticizing clearly unhealthy behavior, it openly acknowledges the toxicity.
-incredibly inappropriate power dynamic (except instead of a decades-long age gap, he's a senior/TA and she's a freshman)
-he perceives himself as a predator and her as prey ("And so the lion fell in love with the lamb." or whatever)
-"I'm dangerous"
-stalker tendencies
-demure, innocent maiden
-Gavin talks pretentiously, way too fancy for high schooler
-researching your dangerous crush
Is it disconcerting to say that this book made me weirdly nostalgic for high school (and I HATED high school)? Fearscape very much took me back to being a teenager but in a good(?), dark, angsty way. I loved the assigned reading references. The reminder of what it felt like to have a crush--and how that innocence was twisted into something sinister.
One downfall was that the book has quite a few typos/missing words.
Anyway, I'm off to therapy 😘✌🏻
TWs: stalking; homophobia; high school; classic literature; assault.
Amidst a rough November and a reading slump, Fearscape was exactly what I needed and I LOVED it. It was horror, 100%. But also treading that line between desire and terror. I absolutely devoured it.
Disclaimer: I like READING and ANALYZING really, really dark romance. I do not condone this stuff IRL. GUYS--DO. NOT. DO. THIS. FUCKED. UP. SHIT. Girls do not want this, we just want to READ about it. THANK YOU.
Summary:
High school. Mysterious, dangerous misfit stalks and traumatizes track/art goody-two-shoes girlie, teaches her how to play chess.
Review:
Remember that creepy, very off-putting but kinda weirdly hot outcast from high school (I know we all had one) - Gavin is that guy.
Though this book is not a slasher, Val is a quintessential Final Girl. Innocent, naive, overly sweet--only to be transformed from grappling with a monster.
Gavin is not a romantic hero; the dude is undeniably disturbed. As a reader, I'm rooting for Val, not for Val + Gavin. Nevertheless, their dynamic absolutely captivated (and disturbed) me. (And, honestly, Gavin's creepy diary entries were kind of my favorite part of the book).
In a lot of ways, this book was actually very similar to Twilight. Except, instead of romanticizing clearly unhealthy behavior, it openly acknowledges the toxicity.
-incredibly inappropriate power dynamic (except instead of a decades-long age gap, he's a senior/TA and she's a freshman)
-he perceives himself as a predator and her as prey ("And so the lion fell in love with the lamb." or whatever)
-"I'm dangerous"
-stalker tendencies
-demure, innocent maiden
-Gavin talks pretentiously, way too fancy for high schooler
-researching your dangerous crush
Is it disconcerting to say that this book made me weirdly nostalgic for high school (and I HATED high school)? Fearscape very much took me back to being a teenager but in a good(?), dark, angsty way. I loved the assigned reading references. The reminder of what it felt like to have a crush--and how that innocence was twisted into something sinister.
One downfall was that the book has quite a few typos/missing words.
Anyway, I'm off to therapy 😘✌🏻
TWs: stalking; homophobia; high school; classic literature; assault.
March 4, 2016
So many things went wrong for me with this book.
The Positives
1. The premise is creepy (though hackneyed).
2. The female protagonist, Valerian, though extremely weak by traditional standards, was very believable. I can imagine how a sensitive 14-year-old could be enticed into a trap ("come into my parlour, says the spider to the fly").
3. There is no glorification of the stalker - at the same time, there is no denial of his sex appeal.
4. The sexy and frightening mind game between the stalker and the stalked is well-drawn.
The Negatives
1. The writing. It left so much to be desired. I found some grammar mistakes, as well as jarring use of adjectives. There are endless descriptions of the food being consumed by Val. There are jarring shifts in POV (especially after following Val for a long time, it suddenly jumps to that of her mother or teacher). And Gavin's speech is extremely stilted and artificial.
2. Characterisation. Except Gavin and Val, others are mostly pasteboard.
3. The conclusion (yeah, I know the story continues - but it was unsatisfying all the same).
4. The references and allusions to other books and fairy tales with a similar theme was interesting, but IMO, there was overkill.
I will plump for two stars.
The Positives
1. The premise is creepy (though hackneyed).
2. The female protagonist, Valerian, though extremely weak by traditional standards, was very believable. I can imagine how a sensitive 14-year-old could be enticed into a trap ("come into my parlour, says the spider to the fly").
3. There is no glorification of the stalker - at the same time, there is no denial of his sex appeal.
4. The sexy and frightening mind game between the stalker and the stalked is well-drawn.
The Negatives
1. The writing. It left so much to be desired. I found some grammar mistakes, as well as jarring use of adjectives. There are endless descriptions of the food being consumed by Val. There are jarring shifts in POV (especially after following Val for a long time, it suddenly jumps to that of her mother or teacher). And Gavin's speech is extremely stilted and artificial.
2. Characterisation. Except Gavin and Val, others are mostly pasteboard.
3. The conclusion (yeah, I know the story continues - but it was unsatisfying all the same).
4. The references and allusions to other books and fairy tales with a similar theme was interesting, but IMO, there was overkill.
I will plump for two stars.
November 14, 2013
3.5 Creepy, Psychotic, Deranged Stars
Valerian Kimble, is a shy introvert girl that always lets life slip her by. She is your good mannered American girl, she possesses good grades, runs track, loves animals, and is an avid painter. Unbeknownst to her, she has caught the eye of a sick twisted demented stalker. This poor 14 year old girl is rattled by these said events but is learning quickly who the culprit may be.
Gavin Mecozzi, is a senior and is a bit enamored by Valerian. His mysterious, intense, and charm are slowly winning over Valerian. But its his cold lifeless eyes that give a new meaning that something sinister is brewing upon this handsome young man.
Although you can predict the outcome, you still find yourself finding hope that Gavin was just playing a mean joke or that he isnt capable of such things. My feelings are mixed, there are times when I found myself totally envisioning him as misinterpreted individual that just needs love. But at other times, I couldn't believe he would go through such lengths to prove that she will bend to his will and Valerian would become his one way or another...
All in all, Fearscape is a unique creepy look at how someone can manifest such feeling for someone that they would injure you in the process. I literally read this book in one day, so that alone says a lot.
I am diving into book 2, too see what transpires between these two and how Gavin's game will intensify..
What would it be like, I wonder, to have such power over a woman? To feel her beneath you, as beautiful and golden and lovely as the sun, half-willing, half resistant? To know that you have her by the throat? I should like to have such an experience.
Valerian Kimble, is a shy introvert girl that always lets life slip her by. She is your good mannered American girl, she possesses good grades, runs track, loves animals, and is an avid painter. Unbeknownst to her, she has caught the eye of a sick twisted demented stalker. This poor 14 year old girl is rattled by these said events but is learning quickly who the culprit may be.
Gavin Mecozzi, is a senior and is a bit enamored by Valerian. His mysterious, intense, and charm are slowly winning over Valerian. But its his cold lifeless eyes that give a new meaning that something sinister is brewing upon this handsome young man.
"And if I told you that I wanted to hurt you?.. "Hurt me?" You've never even been kissed before have you?"
Although you can predict the outcome, you still find yourself finding hope that Gavin was just playing a mean joke or that he isnt capable of such things. My feelings are mixed, there are times when I found myself totally envisioning him as misinterpreted individual that just needs love. But at other times, I couldn't believe he would go through such lengths to prove that she will bend to his will and Valerian would become his one way or another...
All in all, Fearscape is a unique creepy look at how someone can manifest such feeling for someone that they would injure you in the process. I literally read this book in one day, so that alone says a lot.
I am diving into book 2, too see what transpires between these two and how Gavin's game will intensify..
October 2, 2013
I cannot properly formulate a thought, a sentence.
What did I just read?
I have to start the next book now. I need something. Answers maybe. I honestly don't know.
What I do know -
1. I must be twisted, because I am thinking creepy, terrifying Gavin Mecozzi is hot. I would not have stood a chance against him at Val's age.
2. I have no idea what to expect from this series, but I am intrigued. Nenia Campbell has me captivated, I can't wait to continue Val's story.
"You can choose to see me as your prison or your pasture. Either way, you will wear my bridle."
September 20, 2018
1.25 STARS
While I was reading this I was wondering why did I have the notion that this is a great book and a must read I really don't know what was wrong with me ...
It was about a 14 year old stupid pre-teenager in love with a weird dark psycho student ... and I couldn't care less to know whats gonna happen ...
While I was reading this I was wondering why did I have the notion that this is a great book and a must read I really don't know what was wrong with me ...
It was about a 14 year old stupid pre-teenager in love with a weird dark psycho student ... and I couldn't care less to know whats gonna happen ...
March 2, 2016
This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review by the author.
This book was disconcerting to me. It triggered some very bad memories but I feel like I'm in a spot now where I can talk about this and be honest and calm about it.
Fearscape is an alarmingly accurate portrayal of stalking behavior and how absolutely terrifying it can be. This is not about teenagers being dramatic and after a few phone calls or facebook messages saying "Oh my god, he's totally stalking me! What a creep!" It is a horrible experience and this book does a lot to remind people that that dark broody alpha male behavior could actually be a sign of something a lot more sinister.
Let me elaborate. As I mentioned in a status update and a few other times around GR, in high school I was a victim of a stalker. For two years, I was followed around by a severely unhinged guy and ended up losing every single one of my friends (save one glorious gem of a sister from another mister).
My point behind that long winded story is this: THIS SHIT REALLY HAPPENS. It's not a joke. It's not attention seeking. It isn't about being selfish. It's a very real, very dangerous situation that was handled in this book perfectly.
If you read the book and my review, you can see how things escalate. You can see what happens when infatuation turns to obsession. People can be really hurt by stalking behaviors and people seem to want to blame the victim.
This book shows how fucking dangerous stalkers can be. Edward's behavior in Twilight isn't cute. It's one step away from this.
Gavin starts with messages and notes. He engages with her on facebook and watches her run. He licks her blood off of his hand. I thought it was gearing up to be some vampire werewolf thing but he doesn't even have the excuse of being an animal. Gavin fashions himself as some sort of gentleman and gets Valerian to trust him. But he is a predator posing as a house pet. Gavin may be charming but he is also a fucking lunatic.
One of the things that I liked most about this book is the response that Val has to the creepy anonymous facebook messages. She tells her parents. Thank god. Do you know how difficult that can be for a teenager but is the absolute correct response? You tell an authority figure. You make sure that they know you are scared. This goes for bullying too. You tell an adult. Period. End of story. Val is 14 years old and there is no excuse for a 14 year old to be getting those types of messages.
This book hit home in a lot of ways. It brought all of that back up with me, even though I had thought I had gotten over it long ago. Truth be told, I am still scared of that guy. I don't go anywhere without mace and a rather large buck knife on me because his threats still linger. This book may not be comfortable to read. But I think it has an important message that we sometimes ignore, especially those of us that read paranormal romance books. Stalking isn't cute. It isn't sexy or whatever other excuses we tell ourselves. It happens and it should not be glorified by YA books with a sparkling vampire.
This book was disconcerting to me. It triggered some very bad memories but I feel like I'm in a spot now where I can talk about this and be honest and calm about it.
Fearscape is an alarmingly accurate portrayal of stalking behavior and how absolutely terrifying it can be. This is not about teenagers being dramatic and after a few phone calls or facebook messages saying "Oh my god, he's totally stalking me! What a creep!" It is a horrible experience and this book does a lot to remind people that that dark broody alpha male behavior could actually be a sign of something a lot more sinister.
Let me elaborate. As I mentioned in a status update and a few other times around GR, in high school I was a victim of a stalker. For two years, I was followed around by a severely unhinged guy and ended up losing every single one of my friends (save one glorious gem of a sister from another mister).
My point behind that long winded story is this: THIS SHIT REALLY HAPPENS. It's not a joke. It's not attention seeking. It isn't about being selfish. It's a very real, very dangerous situation that was handled in this book perfectly.
If you read the book and my review, you can see how things escalate. You can see what happens when infatuation turns to obsession. People can be really hurt by stalking behaviors and people seem to want to blame the victim.
This book shows how fucking dangerous stalkers can be. Edward's behavior in Twilight isn't cute. It's one step away from this.
Gavin starts with messages and notes. He engages with her on facebook and watches her run. He licks her blood off of his hand. I thought it was gearing up to be some vampire werewolf thing but he doesn't even have the excuse of being an animal. Gavin fashions himself as some sort of gentleman and gets Valerian to trust him. But he is a predator posing as a house pet. Gavin may be charming but he is also a fucking lunatic.
One of the things that I liked most about this book is the response that Val has to the creepy anonymous facebook messages. She tells her parents. Thank god. Do you know how difficult that can be for a teenager but is the absolute correct response? You tell an authority figure. You make sure that they know you are scared. This goes for bullying too. You tell an adult. Period. End of story. Val is 14 years old and there is no excuse for a 14 year old to be getting those types of messages.
This book hit home in a lot of ways. It brought all of that back up with me, even though I had thought I had gotten over it long ago. Truth be told, I am still scared of that guy. I don't go anywhere without mace and a rather large buck knife on me because his threats still linger. This book may not be comfortable to read. But I think it has an important message that we sometimes ignore, especially those of us that read paranormal romance books. Stalking isn't cute. It isn't sexy or whatever other excuses we tell ourselves. It happens and it should not be glorified by YA books with a sparkling vampire.
November 1, 2023
2 -2.5 Not The Usual Bad Boy Stars!!
CONTAINS SOME SLIGHT SPOILERS
I liked this book. It is not one of my favorites but I like the way the story went and I am looking forward to reading books two and three from this series, Horrorscape and Terrorscape.
Lets get the bad out of the way first.
There were a few things I didn’t like or relate to as a parent; Such as the way Val’s Mom reacted to the threats to Val on Facebook. I would have been a lot more proactive. And we never really got to hear from Val’s Dad at all – almost like he was a figment of their imagination. After what happens at the end I couldn’t get how they didn’t want to beat the crap out of Gavin, but then I think from reading this they are quite passive folk, so not like me at all LOL.
The story is written in third person, but I was confused as to why Val’s Mom was constantly referred to as “Mrs Kimble” – it didn’t sound right, almost as though it was being written by one of Val’s friends?
Also, there were A LOT of cheesey similes/metaphors such as "The cat ran across the grass liked greased lightening" and i HATE that sort of stuff - it reminds me of an English Essay where you are trying to display how much you know about that stuff.
Anyway, onto the good!
What I did like is that Nenia Campbell doesn’t follow the usual hot bad boy trope – don’t get me wrong, the bad boy in this, Gavin, hot. He is fit, good-looking and enigmatic as well as dark – but unlike so many other books in this genre and the YA/NA genre in particular, the MC, fourteen-year-old Valerian, doesn’t see this as an excuse for creepy, stalkerish behaviour.
This story also shows the dangers of social networking sites and how difficult it can be to deal with problems if they arise.
The Story
A short while into the story, Val becomes aware that someone is stalking her, and sending her threatening messages on Facebook. She has recently also started some kind of boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with an older student at school, (Gavin) and eventually realizes he might just be her stalker.
Some people have criticised the character of Val in their reviews, saying how they thought she was written as too naïve – but HECK she is fourteen for goodness sake!! I was very naïve at this age so I can totally relate.
I think Val played a dangerous game in the last part of the book, and things look as though they are going really badly wrong. This was a really stupid move on her part, which she realizes very quickly.
All in the entire ending is not what is expected and leaves things begging for that sequel.
Onto Horrorscape!!
CONTAINS SOME SLIGHT SPOILERS
I liked this book. It is not one of my favorites but I like the way the story went and I am looking forward to reading books two and three from this series, Horrorscape and Terrorscape.
Lets get the bad out of the way first.
There were a few things I didn’t like or relate to as a parent; Such as the way Val’s Mom reacted to the threats to Val on Facebook. I would have been a lot more proactive. And we never really got to hear from Val’s Dad at all – almost like he was a figment of their imagination. After what happens at the end I couldn’t get how they didn’t want to beat the crap out of Gavin, but then I think from reading this they are quite passive folk, so not like me at all LOL.
The story is written in third person, but I was confused as to why Val’s Mom was constantly referred to as “Mrs Kimble” – it didn’t sound right, almost as though it was being written by one of Val’s friends?
Also, there were A LOT of cheesey similes/metaphors such as "The cat ran across the grass liked greased lightening" and i HATE that sort of stuff - it reminds me of an English Essay where you are trying to display how much you know about that stuff.
Anyway, onto the good!
What I did like is that Nenia Campbell doesn’t follow the usual hot bad boy trope – don’t get me wrong, the bad boy in this, Gavin, hot. He is fit, good-looking and enigmatic as well as dark – but unlike so many other books in this genre and the YA/NA genre in particular, the MC, fourteen-year-old Valerian, doesn’t see this as an excuse for creepy, stalkerish behaviour.
This story also shows the dangers of social networking sites and how difficult it can be to deal with problems if they arise.
The Story
A short while into the story, Val becomes aware that someone is stalking her, and sending her threatening messages on Facebook. She has recently also started some kind of boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with an older student at school, (Gavin) and eventually realizes he might just be her stalker.
Some people have criticised the character of Val in their reviews, saying how they thought she was written as too naïve – but HECK she is fourteen for goodness sake!! I was very naïve at this age so I can totally relate.
I think Val played a dangerous game in the last part of the book, and things look as though they are going really badly wrong. This was a really stupid move on her part, which she realizes very quickly.
All in the entire ending is not what is expected and leaves things begging for that sequel.
Onto Horrorscape!!
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