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It's the last Friday of the month - time for The Cephalopod Coffeehouse blog hop! Each month, participating blogs post reviews of the best book they've read during that month. Readers can hop between the blogs and find a host of interesting books to add to their TBR piles, and visit some fun blogs in the process.As today is the day after Thanksgiving, I'm not sure how many people will be hopping around the blogosphere looking for book reviews - but then again, there are some great Black Friday sales going on at Amazon and Barnes and Noble... so if you're taking a break from your cyber-shopping, maybe this will give you some new ideas and inspiration!
Book Review: ETERNAL MERCURY by Elaine Pinter
ETERNAL MERCURY By Elaine Pinter
Published 2013
About the Book (from Goodreads):
Can true love survive the boundaries of death?
Eighteen-year-old Chelsee Taylor has been in love with her
boyfriend, Max, since they started kindergarten together. She has no idea that
high school graduation will be the last perfect day of her life. After a deadly
car accident, Chelsee refuses to accept Max's death because she can still feel
his presence. No one believes her and she is completely alone. Until Blake
Andersen shows up. It's not just that he believes her . . . or even just that
he's so understanding . . . . But why is Max's presence so strong when she's
with Blake?
Eternal Mercury is two books in one. Book 1, Chelsee's
Story, is bittersweet and moving, while Book 2, Blake's Story, is gritty and
inspirational.
My Take:
*I won a copy of this book in an online giveaway.*
This is a YA romance with a unique twist to it, and just a
dash of paranormal. I’ve read several contemporary YA books lately that begin
with kind of dark premises. Like teens dying from cancer, as in THE FAULT IN
OUR STARS by John Green, and A TAYLOR-MADE LIFE, by Kary Rader. This is the
first YA book I’ve read that deals with car accidents, death, and what survives
after death. I’ve never read a YA that deals in detail with hospitals and organ
transplants that isn’t totally dystopian.
The Reviewer running the contest loved the book, so despite
a slow start I kept going. And I’m glad that I did. So if you decide to pick up
a copy, don’t give up after the first chapter or two. It gets way better. Tears
and ripping at your heartstrings and smiling-through-the-tears-at-the-end
better.
The book is broken into two parts, Part One being from
Chelsee’s POV and Part Two being from Blake’s POV. There’s no head-hopping; you
need to read all of her perspective and then basically start the story over
from his perspective, which is totally interesting as their stories don’t even
intersect much until the middle of each section – which sounds like it makes no
sense, but it does. Trust me.
Chelsee’s story starts with her high school graduation and
her sweet perfect life and true love with her long-time boyfriend, Max, who is
also (dare I say?) perfect. He’s an athlete and all-around great guy, a track
star headed to University on scholarship. Sounds a little boring to me, but I
don’t read a lot of contemporary YA romance. I stick with mostly books that
have paranormal twists. (Which this one does, a little bit, but in a grounded
sort of way.)
A deadly car accident erases all of the perfect from
Chelsee’s life, including taking Max, and leaves her feeling like an empty
shell. But lying in her hospital bed, she can still feel Max’s presence. And it
gets strongest when she meets Blake. Their romance progresses through the first
part and ties up so nicely at the end that you can really stop there and be
satisfied, but then there’s the second part and it’s almost like a whole second
book that twines together with what you already know from reading the first
part, which was such a cool concept that I have to applaud the author.
In Blake’s section of the book, the writing is even stronger
than the first, but he starts as such an unredeeming character that I probably
would’ve punted the book if I hadn’t read the first part. I really loved the second
section, and the character’s attitude and arc.
If you’re looking for a tear-jerker for catharsis during the
hectic holidays, I would totally recommend this book. It’s an engaging and
sweet love story, a fairly fast read, and has some good messages and thought
provoking parts without being preachy. All in all, a satisfying read.
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This is a blog hop! Don't forget to visit some of the other great blogs participating in today's coffeehouse!
