Title: Death Wish
Author: Megan Tayte
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Reviewer: Aly
Book Blurb:
IN SEARCH OF THE MEANING OF DEATH, SHE’LL FIND THE MEANING OF LIFE.
Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Blake is haunted by death. Her estranged sister has made the ultimate dramatic exit. Running away from school, joining a surfing fraternity, partying hard: that sounds like Sienna. But suicide? It makes no sense.
Following in her sister’s footsteps, Scarlett comes to the isolated cove of Twycombe, Devon, with grand plans to uncover the truth. Alone. But she hasn’t reckoned on meeting two boys who are determined to help her. Luke: the blue-eyed surfer who’ll see the real Scarlett, who’ll challenge her, who’ll save her. And Jude: the elusive drifter with a knack for turning up whenever Scarlett’s in need.
As Scarlett’s quest for the truth unravels, so too does her grip on reality as she’s always known it. Because there’s something strange going on in this little cove. A dead magpie circles the skies. A dead deer watches from the undergrowth. Hands glow with light. Warmth. Power.
What transpires is a summer of discovery. Of what it means to conquer fear. To fall in love. To choose life. To choose death.
To believe the impossible.
Review:
This book was definitely dark, or at least had a very dark start. The darkness didn’t go away entirely but it did diminish some. I think Megan Tayte captured the grief and the darkness of Scarlett really well at the beginning of the book. Then you start moving away from the grief a bit and get to know Scarlett but not the Scarlett before she was affected this way but the Scarlett she is becoming. It’s great to see this growth. It certainly talked about a lot of the questions people have after a death like that and I think it handed the issue tactfully without going overboard or doing anything to make readers uncomfortable.
The first person perspective was something I was neutral about with a slight leaning towards liking it. I’m not a huge fan of this perspective but in Death Wish it seemed to fit and I liked getting Scarlett’s perspective. I would have loved to have some peeks into Jude’s or Luke’s brains, mostly Jude’s just so when he got cryptic it would be easier to decode.But it did allow some mystery to remain. You learned quickly about the powers that she possesses. But at the same time there was still something to be figured out.
The ending was marvelous but horrible at the same time. There was such a cliffhanger that I wanted to know more right away. And that’s not possible at the moment. So now I’m curious as to what will happen especially because I loved the characters and I want them to have a happy ending. Every one of them. Although I know if they do it will be a hard road. Because otherwise there wouldn’t be a book right?
Overall, Death Wish was a great read, especially if you enjoy Young Adult Paranormal Romance.
Rating:
And now . . . an interview with the wonderful
Megan Tayte!
I know that this is probably a cliché
question, but I’m going to ask it anyways J
What inspired you to start writing?
My grandmother. I was very young when I developed a passion
for reading, and one day I asked her how books got made and by whom. Once she
explained, that was it: from that day forth ‘author’ was the only job for me.
Of course, deciding to write books was one thing, actually
doing it was another. It took many years, a lot of practice and a good deal of
soul-searching for me to reach a point where I put pen to paper. Even then, I
had several books published under my professional name before I felt I was a
‘proper’ author and was ready to write what I really wanted to write: The
Ceruleans.
Is there something you must need in order to write? (i.e. a cup of coffee or music in the
background)
Light. In daytime, I write best at the window – whether at
home in my writing room, which overlooks the garden, in a cosy cafe or in the
airy lounge of a local hotel. Writing al fresco is even better – on a bench
overlooking parkland, a lake or the sea. On a dark day, or if I’m writing early
in the morning or at night, I need soft lamplight and plenty of it, and when
I’m writing an atmospheric scene, I often light candles.
What draws you to the genre you write?
I’ve always believed that there are more things in heaven
and on earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy. Anyone who’s fallen in love,
held a newborn baby or looked at a rainbow knows there is more to life than
what is concrete and definable.
I grew up knowing loss, and I think that is where my belief
in there being something more stems
from. What child wants to think that someone they love has ceased to exist?
Faith is essential.
That said, I don’t write hardcore paranormal fiction. I
class my writing as romance, fundamentally, with just an edge of paranormal –
the paranormal element isn’t what drives the story; the relationships between
characters are at the heart.
If you could meet any fictional character,
who would it be?
I’ve always been fascinated by Erik, the twisted genius in
Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera,
but to meet him in person may be somewhat chilling. Perhaps Nancy from Dickens’
Oliver Twist then – to tell her to
leave her vile man and run as far and as fast as she can before Bill Sikes can
bludgeon her to death.
Do you think that it’s true that each
character in a novel reflects some bit of the author?
Perhaps not every single character, but certainly some. Because
the best writing comes from a place of personal experience, and so you
instinctively give your characters traits that you understand. So, for example,
my heroine Scarlett is like me in some ways: independent at a young age, happy
enough in her own company, sensitive when it comes to emotions, and definitely
not at ease in a loud, crowded nightclub.
But, crucially, no character is a representation of you, the
author – each is very different. A big part of the fun (and the challenge) of
writing is navigating territory that’s new to you. In Death Wish, for example, Scarlett is determined to conquer her fear
of the ocean and learn to surf. Eventually, she becomes a pretty kick-ass
surfer. That’s not me at all: I’d remain as Scarlett is at the start of the
book – bobbing about on the waves, clinging to a surfboard for dear life and in
dire need of rescue. Ideally, by a very hot surfer, of course.
Chocolate or vanilla?
Chocolate, every time! Did you know you can grow
chocolate-scented flowers now? Mmm.
Do you outline?
Yes, extensively. But then I give myself permission to go
off course when I feel like it and try a new direction. So by the end of the
book the outline is generally covered in additions and amendments, and that
feels right to me: a pristine sheet would be too boring, too rigid.
What, in your opinion, makes a character
“interesting”?
Their flaws and their quirks. Perfect, ‘normal’ characters
are dull and flat and impossible to connect to. I’m interested in characters
that feel real – that tell a fundamental truth. I love characters who battle
inner demons, who see the world differently, who inspire and challenge.
In The Ceruleans, the character of Cara was the most fun to
write because she isn’t defined by her disability, but is feisty, opinionated
and intelligent:
Life was never dull
with Cara. She was always upbeat, with a refreshingly open perspective on the
world (‘See that homeless guy? Yep, the one selling the Big Issue. Yes, the one
with the big beard and the scars. Hot, isn’t he?’)...
How many people see the beauty in a scarred homeless guy?
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Write a lot, read a lot, dream a lot and smile a lot –
there’s so much to smile about!
Anything else you would like readers to know
about you? Thanks!
I love connecting with readers and fellow romantics. You can
find me online at:
About the Author
Once upon a time a little girl told her
grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop
lady. Or a fairy princess fireman. 'Write, Megan,' her grandmother advised. So
that's what she did.
Thirty-odd years later, Megan writes the kinds of books she loves to read: young-adult paranormal romance fiction. Young adult, because it's the time of life that most embodies freedom and discovery and first love. Paranormal, because she's always believed that there are more things in heaven and on earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy. And romance, because she's a misty-eyed dreamer who lives for those 'life is so breathtakingly beautiful' moments.
Megan grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in Robin Hood's county, Nottingham. She lives with her husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; her son, a budding artist with the soul of a paleontologist; and her baby daughter, a keen pan-and-spoon drummer who sings in her sleep. When she's not writing, you'll find her walking someplace green, reading by the fire, or creating carnage in the kitchen as she pursues her impossible dream: of baking something edible.
Thirty-odd years later, Megan writes the kinds of books she loves to read: young-adult paranormal romance fiction. Young adult, because it's the time of life that most embodies freedom and discovery and first love. Paranormal, because she's always believed that there are more things in heaven and on earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy. And romance, because she's a misty-eyed dreamer who lives for those 'life is so breathtakingly beautiful' moments.
Megan grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in Robin Hood's county, Nottingham. She lives with her husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; her son, a budding artist with the soul of a paleontologist; and her baby daughter, a keen pan-and-spoon drummer who sings in her sleep. When she's not writing, you'll find her walking someplace green, reading by the fire, or creating carnage in the kitchen as she pursues her impossible dream: of baking something edible.
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