Un amore diabolico

Immortal Game #1

by Ann Aguirre

La vendetta, si sa, è un piatto che va gustato freddo. E la giovane Edie Kramer ha già sofferto abbastanza nella sua breve vita a causa di tutto quello che ha dovuto affrontare alla Blackbriar Academy: se prima meditava di prendersi una rivincita sui bulli che la tormentano a scuola, ormai è giunta addirittura al punto di volersi togliere la vita. Ma quando anche l’ultima speranza sembra perduta e Edie sta per saltare nel vuoto da un ponte di Boston, a salvarla arriva l’affascinante Kian, che le propone in cambio uno strano patto: esaudirà tre suoi desideri, ma lei in futuro dovrà rendergli il favore, facendo tre cose per la misteriosa società per cui lui lavora… Edie otterrà bellezza e successo, riscattandosi agli occhi di tutta la gente che l’ha maltrattata in passato, però dovrà pagare un prezzo davvero molto alto per la sua scelta: Kian infatti è un immortale al soldo di un gruppo di demoni. Eppure Edie non riesce a resistere al suo fascino enigmatico. E ora non sa più di chi può davvero fidarsi, in un mondo popolato di creature diaboliche

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Horror

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 5, 2014

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre has been a clown, a clerk, a savior of stray kittens, and a voice actress, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in Mexico with her family. She writes all kinds of genre fiction, but she has an eternal soft spot for a happily ever after.

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 2 out of 5]

“I read a novel where this hit man is supposed to assassinate a woman, but he ends up falling in love with her instead, just from watching her.”

Well, way to fall into your own cliché, book.

The message in this book? Beauty is everything! Want a better life? Become beautiful. You will instantly have everything you will ever want. With the exceptions of a few Evil People wanting to possess you because you have a Special Destiny, but, whatever, right?

- A hot boyfriend (or two)? Check! He's been watching you from afar (without your knowledge) for years (Cullen ain't got nothing on Kian), and he's liked you when you were ugly, but it's just so awesome that you're beautiful now, just as he decides to declare his feelings for you! A miraculous coincidence, for sure!

- A miraculous change in personality? Check! Who cares that you were a shy, quiet, bullied wallflower for your the previous years of your life. With your newfound beauty, you will instantly develop the kind of breath-taking confidence that's been ingrained in all beautiful people throughout their lives! Who needs time to adjust?!

- A newfound relationship with your parents? Check! Your brilliant mother, your absolutely amazing physicist mother, the one whose discoveries are on the edge of changing the scientific world? Why, she's just been waiting her whole life for a beautiful newly transformed daughter to make her realize that all she needs in her life is a trip to the gym and a new color of lipstick!

- Revenge on everyone who's ever wronged you? Check! Who knew that all it took was beauty for the people who's been making you miserable for the past three years of high school to accept you into the super-popular inner circle of school. Whoever thought that the person they've been tormenting for the past years could ever plot against them? Not the beautiful people themselves, no!

In all seriousness, This book was a disappointment. It contained two elements that I should have loved:

- Revenge
- A Faustian deal with the devil

It didn't work for me. This book was filled with a tremendous amount of insta-love, a lot of romance with a boy who has been stalking her for years, it is extremely light on the revenge plot, and the paranormal aspects were tremendously bogged down and confusing.

The Summary:

"I’m authorized to offer you three favors now in return for three favors later.”
“I don’t understand. What kind of...favors?”
“Anything you want,” he said.

Edie is on the verge of killing herself. She has been bullied relentlessly at school for the past three years, and she can't take it anymore. She is about to throw herself into a river, when a mysterious and stunningly beautiful young man named Kian appears...

He had the kind of face you saw in magazines, sculpted and airbrushed to perfection. Sharp cheekbones eased into a strong jaw and a kissable mouth. He had a long, aquiline nose and jade eyes with a feline slant.

...to offer her a deal she can't resist. He will give her three wishes, in return, she will give the people he works for three of their own wishes later.

Deal. Edie takes it. Her first wish?

“I want to be beautiful without losing any aptitude I have. No time limits, no melting face, no surprises.”

Edie wants to be beautiful. To be stunning. To get revenge on the Mean Girls (and guys) "Teflon crew" who has been making her life miserable for years. She also wants something else, it's not a wish, but Kian grants it anyway.

“Then there’s one more thing before you go.” I couldn’t believe I was doing this, but the words wouldn’t stop. They came from a place of complete certainty.
“What?”
“Kiss me.”

He does, and he fulfils his promise to turn Edie beautiful. She becomes a newly Photoshopped version of herself with a "slim hourglass figure." To explain away the change, she gives the excuse of going away to summer camp. Three months later, she comes back to school, ready for revenge.

It was time to shift from planning and preparation to payback and penance. By the time I was done at Blackbriar, there would be blood in the water.

But this whole Faustian wishes doesn't come without consequences (duh). It seems that Edie is special.

“Wait, what’s a catalyst?”
“You’re one. It’s somebody destined for great things.”

Oh, god, here we go again. So Edie has a special destiny, and people are out to get her for it.

It's simple enough, a revenge plot, and danger from people out to get her. So where did this book go wrong?

The Insta-Change:

Belatedly, I realized I hadn’t stuttered once. Apparently the behavioral psychologist had been right; I had a psychogenic stutter, exacerbated by stress, mental anguish, and anxiety. Right then, I felt no fear of ridicule, and it was easy to talk.

In the beginning of the book, the main character is shy, overweight, ugly, and a social outcast. She has no friends, she stutters, she doesn't know how to act in public.

And when she suddenly turns beautiful, it seems like her personality changed 180 degrees as well.

[The beautiful people] considered their ability to control other people an accessory, like a great purse or a cute pair of shoes.
“I can’t believe that worked!”
“I wasn’t sure it would.” Especially since I had no experience with manipulation. But I’d watched it happen often enough. Mimicry wasn’t tough, apparently.

Edie learns immediately to manipulate, to smile seductively, to flirt, to lie. This is not realistic. A person does not immediately change from a social outcast, one who is almost incapable of talking to another person without fear, without stuttering, into a butterfly overnight, no matter the change in appearance.

“I was wondering if I could room with my friend, Vi,” I said, trying the persuasive smile for a second time.
Life can’t be this easy for the beautiful people.

I was cripplingly shy in high school, I was tremendously afraid of public speaking, I never had a single boy ask me out. I also wasn't ugly.

Confidence takes more than beauty on the surface, it is a slow, painful process, if you do not have it inside you. It took YEARS during college, of constantly being forced to do presentations, of having my insecurities soothed over by friends, of gradually gaining confidence in myself in order for me to become a person who appears to be confident in public. I can tell you from personal experience that a change in appearance does very little to give you the inner confidence that a person lacks and I found Edie's change to be completely unconvincing.

The Revenge: What revenge? This is nowhere as satisfying as Burn for Burn. The "Teflon crew" in the book did a wrecking job on Edie, and she wants to get back at them. It is not realistic:

- She immediately gets befriended by her former nemesis because she is beautiful
- She gets lifelong friends to hate each other by spreading a few rumors

“What the hell, you told Cam what I said?”
“I didn’t. I asked Jen what she thought of Cam, and I think Allison was ahead of us in line, but I would never—”
“Bet it was Allison.” His frown cleared. “She’s always trying to make Cam like her. She’s got this weird rivalry with Brittany. They’re supposed to be BFFs, but I get the feeling Allison would giggle if Brit fell down the stairs.”

And BAM. They believe her. They trust her. Magical bad things happen out of nowhere to them, without Edie's knowledge.This book doesn't have much of a sense of revenge at all. And trust me, I LIKE MY REVENGE PLOTS.

The Clichéd Romance:

I came up on my knees and hugged him; sometimes it felt like we were two halves of the same soul, and that was so stupid it made me feel like I lost IQ points just for thinking it.

Kian is struck by insta-love, he is a stalker, he is someone who is a double agent who should not be trusted. Really, this can't be any worse unless there was a love triangle.

Edie is madly in love/lust/whatever with Kian. She cannot think about him, for such a shy girl, she immediately demands a kiss, and then they conveniently become "pretend" boyfriends and girlfriends, which, naturally, leads to the real freaking EMOOOOOOTIONS. And there is a whole lot of emotions in this book; it addresses the clichés of YA romance while falling prey to it 100%.

Kian has been watching her secretly, for years.

“You already know I’ve spent a long damn time watching you. From the outside.”

He has reached a level of stalkerishness Edward Cullen could only aspire to. He knows her likes, her dislikes. What food she wants. He knows what happened to that bunny that bit her in 4th grade.

“You hate rabbits,” Kian said gently.
“Yeah.” I did—since one bit me in the fourth grade—but how weird that he knew.

FOURTH GRADE, MAN. And furthermore, he could be working against her!

“Sort of like a double bluff. You tell me enough of the truth to make me think you’re on my side while you’re manipulating me for your own ends.”

Does Edie listen to her instincts?! Hell no! He could be responsible for a girl's death. Who cares. It's KIIIIIIIIIIAN. Gorgeous Kian. Please.

The Plot: I do not understand the paranormal agency plot at all, and I have no idea what's going on. There are all sorts of weird creatures that appear in the book completely senselessly, without any connection, completely disjointed from each other. We have an emotional vampire, a Bloody Mary, a Bag Man, a Greek Oracle, and I can't make any sense of it whatsoever. Then I finished the book, I read the "Author's Note"...and it all came together.

Ann Aguirre: "I found so many creepy things that they wouldn’t all fit in one book, so there are many shocks and gasps yet to come. The Immortal Game is messy and convoluted, full of monsters and magic, science and sacrifice."

So there's just a jumble of nightmarish creatures thrown in for the sake of creepiness and not for the sake of sense? I'm supposed to be confused because this book is supposed to be "messy and convoluted?"

Why would you do this to us? ;_;

Final notes: To further add to the trope, we have parents who are there, but who pretty much let the wonderful student that is Edie do whatever she freaking wants. And her mother, her brilliant mother...she just needed a makeover from her newly beautiful daughter...

“I want us to have a better relationship, a closer one. We have science in common, at least. I don’t know much about your new interests, but I could stand to be more physically fit. Maybe we could work out together? There’s a nice facility at the university…”

Why? Why?

I appreciate the message that Ann Aguirre is trying to send in this book: Don't let the bullies get to you. Don't commit suicide, there is hope in life. Unfortunately, the execution of this book did not work to my liking.

All quotes were taken from an uncorrected galley proof subject to change in the final edition.

[Emily May · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could this really be by the same author who wrote Bronze Gods?

Admittedly, this is the first YA book I've read by Aguirre. But after she completely astounded me with her complex world-building, clever mystery and well-developed characters in her adult steampunk series, I did not hesitate to come at this book with eager grabby hands. How disappointing to discover that this book is a shallow and boring addition to the long list of paranormal YA novels with creeptastic love interests.

I haven't met a character so obsessed with their own beauty (or lack of) since Shadow & Bone, and at least Bardugo made that book compelling despite my issues with Alina. It's hard to imagine that anyone will be able to accept Edie's miraculous epiphany as soon as she gets a pretty face. There seems to be an underlying implication that beauty is the solution to all your problems and that any self esteem or confidence issues you had would disappear overnight if you were made beautiful. Are you buying that? Cos I wasn't.

Well, that's what we're supposed to believe. It was apparent quite early that this book was going to be too shallow for my tastes, but I powered through it because I was lucky enough to receive an ARC. From the moment the book opens with Edie about to fling herself to her death but persuaded not to by a boy with a beautiful face... I wasn't feeling it. I am neither sold on the idea of beauty = superiority, nor am I into stories that revolve around love interests who a) are characterized by their incredible beauty and b) have been watching the MC for a long time without making themselves known (that's just fucking creepy, dude).

The romance ticks every cliched box. Kian has been watching Edie for years. He falls into instalove with her. He possesses some kind of otherworldly gorgeousness. He is possibly EVULZ but who cares because he is SOOOOOO PREETTTTYYYY. The arrival of this latest Stalky McStalkerson kicks off a convoluted plot that introduces a jumble of random paranormal creatures and a boring-ass story about the tensions between two paranormal agencies or companies... or who even understands this plot anyway? No freaking wonder they didn't put that in the blurb - no one can make it sound exciting.

"I’m authorized to offer you three favors now in return for three favors later.”
“I don’t understand. What kind of...favors?”
“Anything you want,” he said.

^This is what Kian presents Edie with in the beginning and suddenly spins her life in a very different direction. There was great potential here with the underlying idea about not giving up, not committing suicide and not letting the bullies get to you. As someone who can very much relate to a feeling of hopelessness because of bullies, I wanted Aguirre to pack a punch with this. But... the story just isn't that interesting and the "solution" to Edie's problems is ridiculous. You do not suddenly gain a whole new personality because your appearance changes. A short burst of confidence, at best, but you don't get rid of all the underlying insecurities just like that. If only it were so simple.

I think there were good intentions behind this book, but it just didn't work.

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I got all three of the books in the trilogy from BookOutlet and I hope the others get better.

I liked the book and didn't like the book and I don't even know what to say. It was confusing here and there. Sigh. . .



Edie has been picked on by bullies at her school for so long that she is on the verge of killing herself when a hot boy named Kian stops her and gives her a way out. He will grant her three wishes but she has to return three wishes to the company he works for and she takes it. I mean, I don't know - I don't know if I would want to be branded and indebted to some random people. I would want three wishes though. I know what I would wish for, but this is Edie and her first wish is to be beautiful so she can get revenge on her bullies. WHAT? Beauty is NOT the way to life. Yeah, all of the a••hole guys like you and cheat on you, that's about all I get out of that crap!

But, seriously if she wanted to get back at her bullies she could have wished for self-confidence and then she would have had the strength to work out, to take martial arts, anything. Or she could have wished for a super power like Hulk Smash and just pulverized them, but I digress. That would have come in handy for my bullies in school!

There is insta-love and I really don't care about that, I have insta-love in my fantasies all of the time. I think it rocks. In some cases, not so much, but still.

So Kian works for Wedderburn, Mawer & Graf which sounds like some kind of attorneys but they are not and Wedderburn is some kind of freak thing that seems like he's up to no good. Okay, he is up to no good.

Then there is the rival gang . . er. . . peeps called, Dwyer & Fell. I'm guessing they are the real bad guys, who the hell knows at this point.

I did like Edie and Kian and I loved Vi and some other people in the book but I just wasn't totally feeling it. It sort of lagged here and there and some things just didn't get through to my head or something. I don't know. I only hope the next two books are good. I do love the covers though especially on the next two books with the cool purple and blue lipstick. Yes, I know, I'm crazy, it's been proven.

Anyway, I'm so happy for those that loved it to death. I wish I was one of those, but it wasn't to terrible for me to give it lower than three stars because I did like the characters and the idea that something weird is going on. We shall see.

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

[Giselle]

DNF 54%

I'm sad because I was so looking forward to this but I'm sooo bored. I put it down to read something else after it felt like I'd been reading this one for a year, and I just can't motivate myself to pick this up and continue on with it.

It started out alright but then turned out to be all about these 2 paranormal/afterlife "companies" who are in competition with each other and all their political drama, and well bleh. Also the love interest is another of those stalker guys who has watched her her whole life - mostly when she was getting bullied and generally tortured while he stood and did nothing (or took notes for his boss or something). But it's okay because it was his job so, yeah, lets jump his bones because he's hot!? Eh, no; still creepy.

And seeing as the girl was bullied relentlessly for years, and with a serious lack of self esteem by how she describes her past self, she gets out of her shell a bit too easily once she's made attractive. There's no lingering insecurities at all; a prettier face perfected her social skills in a second. Not very realistic for a girl who was bullied to the point of suicide. That confidence would be hidden deeper than that.

Anyways, maybe the last half is an epic showdown of 5-star-ism, but honestly I don't care to find out.

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my experience, all the best books come from the most genuine of places. Of course, fiction is always fiction and I wouldn’t want it any other way, but the underlying emotion has to be honest. Authors don’t always draw from acquired knowledge and experience; after all, their characters can have a very different set of values, but the very best authors rely on emotions that are familiar and true.

Among such authors, Ann Aguirre is queen.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was a beta reader for this book. (It’s hardly a secret, just check the acknowledgments.) I saw its birth firsthand and I know how much it took from Ann. She is the type of author who always feels everything right alongside her characters, so when Edie suffered, Ann suffered as well.

That said, it’s almost impossible to read Edie’s story and remain cold-hearted. Regardless of who you are, an author, a beta reader, a regular reader or a witch’s familiar, you will be deeply touched by this girl. Suicide is no laughing matter, and these days, when we see more and more of it, strong messages of hope are more important than ever. As Edie herself said, It Gets Better Project is extremely important, but it only gets us so far. It is my firm conviction that fiction we care about can take us the rest of the way.

I’ve seen people complain about the importance that is placed on physical beauty in this book. But to a girl who’s been bullied most of her life because she doesn’t look like everyone else, a girl who’s been abused and suffered things no one ever should, beauty seems like the solution to all her problems. In the end, I admired Edie for seeing past outer beauty, her own and that of others, especially Kian. It means much more when someone like her realizes the insignificance of superficial things.

There are, of course, parts of Mortal Danger that are pure, undiluted entertainment. The second part of the book will appeal to lovers of all things creepy. I myself am a big fan of nightmare-ish creatures and urban legends, so when Ann decided to bring them to life, I was basically a kid in a candy store. Here’s a small taste for you:

Across the street, I saw the old man with the bag, and it bulged with a new and hideous weight. Beside him stood the two black-eyed children. The girl-thing’s pinafore was smeared with blood.

*shudders*

Make sure to read Ann’s Author’s note and please be kind and smart enough to listen. Most of us have had )or are still going through) similar experiences, and if not to that extent, we’re certainly none of us strangers to emotional pain.

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engrossing and disturbing, Mortal Danger combines revenge, horror, and the trials of high school. Edie was a sympathetic character, a victim of cruel school bullying. This pushes her to take a deal that ends up being too good to be true. The consequences are ugly and terrifying and Edie is caught up in a deadly supernatural game. While Edie’s back and forth with Kian was understandable, it was a little frustrating at times. Still, I was rooting for their romance because they had so much in common, pain and circumstance. Revenge stories can be tricky and very negative, so I was happy that Edie’s human compassion made her horrified by the actuality in spite of her past treatment.

A copy was kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This review is also posted at The Readers Den.

[Tandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It appears that I'm in the minority here, but this book really entertained me.

Meet Edith Kramer, a girl at the end of her rope. This brilliant, bullied girl has very logically planned her own death and is stopped the second before she tips over the edge.

Kian is unbelievably handsome, but he's not one of the cruel 'beautiful people'. He offers her a mysterious bargain that'll enable her to get the revenge she's so desperate for. Edie may have been about to end it all, but this girl's no fool. In fact, she's an incredible genius. She knows there's another side to the coin, that paying for the favors Kian can grant could very well be a deal worse than simple death.

Thankfully, she accepts his offer and we have this amazing story as the result. This girl is going to make those bullies pay! "...it made me sick, that I could still be this full of hate. I knew for the sake of my own mental health I had to let it go. But I couldn't. Not yet. Edie felt so real to me, I felt her pain and lonliness. I was never bullied as extremely as she was, but her despair and shame spoke to my heart.

Kian is an ally that she can't exactly trust. She doesn't know his agenda. Soon, it's obvious that they're out of their depth. Edie faces horrors she never knew existed.
"Only a lifetime of training in the school of If You Cry, We Win kept my poker face intact."

The 'powers that be' in the big scheme of the plot were a little vague. I expect that the immortal power players will be fleshed out more in coming books. Though there were a few murky spots when I wasn't sure where things were headed, my interest never wavered. I blame Edie, she's a unique, brave character and I was emotionally invested.

"Pillar of salt. That was the only thing I knew about looking back, so I didn't."

At first, I mistakenly assumed that Edie's scholarly parents didn't care about her. So did Edie. It turns out, they're just socially oblivious, thinking isolation & the sole pursuit of academics is normal behavior. Dating is a new thing for all of them, and her dad is full of hilarious warnings not to trust anyone with a penis! One of my favorite aspects of
the story was the relationship she developed with her parents.

I was concerned with the 'looks versus person inside' issue and wondered how the author would handle it. Edie's mom is a strong feminist who's not written as an extremest. I was pleased with the way this aspect of the story was handled. 6 Stars and a Unicorn! Very highly recommended.

[Rayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's something YA authors don't seem to get: You don't have to try so hard to make me like your main character. I don't need to like your main character in order to be invested in her story and enjoy the book. She doesn't have to be a freaking saint for me to like her and be interested in her either. Traditionally unlikable and morally ambiguous characters are perfectly fine with me as long as I find their story engaging.

If I picked up a book that's supposedly about a teen seeking revenge for the horrible things that had been done to her, I might expect to sympathize with her, but I don't need to agree with what she's doing or like her. I especially don't need the author to sanctify her and try so hard to make me like her so that I don't judge her too harshly for her decisions. I wanted to see her angry. I wanted to see the darkness in her. Instead, Edie is as pure as freshly fallen snow and her decision to take revenge is there only in the opening chapter to get the story going. After that, it is only a small but recurrent thought at the back of her head akin to that nagging feeling you get sometimes that tells you that you are forgetting something but that always goes ignored.

This was a rather dark story, in theory, and it started with a slightly disturbing tone, but that's exactly why I picked it up in the first place. I wanted to see Edie taking revenge. That was supposed to be the whole point of the book. There's nothing wrong with making your story a redemption lesson, a journey of forgiveness and understanding, whatever, but commit to it and have your characters commit to it as well so that the story promised in the synopsis doesn't turn out to be just a plot device to get into the actual story of the novel. Show me a character truly committed to the whole bit and maybe I won't feel so cheated when the real story in the novel is revealed and it has barely anything to do with revenge.

If a character starts a book trying to kill herself and then selling her freedom for the chance to take revenge, then I want to see her actually taking revenge and not walking around looking for reasons to forgive and excuse her tormentors. There was no excuse for what had been done to her, and it irritated me to see her looking for reasons to excuse them all. His parents are never around, her parents only care about her beauty, she just watched the whole thing and didn't actually come up with the idea - who cares? Those are not excuses for what they had done. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be held accountable for their terrible actions. It was truly admirable that she was willing to look at things in another light, but Edie kept looking for reasons to justify their actions. I ended up feeling like she never actually wanted revenge, like there was really no interest in her part and this was only written in the novel because there needed to be a bridge between the two different parts of this story. She started a couple of half-assed, innocuous ploys so that nobody could say she didn't actually try to take revenge, but what she actually did was walk around thinking she would never forgive them but not actually acting against them, so that when truly awful things happened to them, we couldn't blame her for it and instead we'd see how much better than everyone else she was.

I liked that Edie was brilliant, although her constant geek culture references started to feel like she was trying too hard at one point, but what bothered me the most about her character is the message she is sending. Her first request is to be beautiful, as usual in a revenge story. What happened once she got beautiful is that her life did get better and she no longer found a reason to consider suicide the way she did when the novel started. All of her problems magically went away once she got beautiful. She got friends, the attention of many different guys, including the token mysterious, perfect and gorgeous guy (who claimed to like her since she was ugly, but never once felt true), and the love of her parents. One could say that suddenly becoming beautiful gave her the confidence to seize all those things and that could be true, but many of those things came her way because she was beautiful, and, when it comes down to it, the truth remains that she found a reason to live and be happy once she became beautiful. I liked the idea of a broken main character, because that's what Edie was at the beginning of the story. She was heart-breakingly sad, believably so too, which is not something many authors manage to convey effectively, but the space between broken and okay was bridged far too quickly and with too much ease, and that all it took was to become beautiful was very disappointing.

At a glance, there's really nothing wrong with the general plot of this book. It's once you read it that you notice how this feels like two different books in one and the whole thing starts to feel incongruous and forced. The synopsis promises a story about revenge, but this is actually the story of how Edie gets caught up in a game between immortals because, as you may have gathered, Edie is important and better than everyone else.

The game itself stands on shaky ground, questionable mythology, and serves a very sketchy purpose, but I would be lying if I said it wasn't interesting, though it feels slightly familiar. It reminded me of the battle/game between gods and monsters in Darkness Becomes Her, but this one had a really interesting twist and included monsters and creatures from urban legends and folklore from around the world, which I found very enjoyable. The story also allowed for the development of a decent and truly creepy antagonist that does feel like a challenge for Edie, though in this particular book, the action tapered off into a slightly anti-climactic ending.

I have to give it to Aguirre: when she decides to be creepy and build suspense, she excels at it. There are some truly disturbing and creepy scenes in there, many instances of urban legends and monsters used in very clever ways, and some very unexpected blood and gore.

The pace of the book was rather odd and, along with the narration, had a tendency to meander away from the main storyline. The novel spends a good chunk of the bulk of the book building up to everything. We get a detailed account of Edie's change followed shortly by her first social experimentation in a science camp, all so that she could develop friendships that would serve as possible collateral damage later on in the story in order to raise the stakes. The whole thing left me strangely torn between appreciation to Aguirre's dedication to setting up the stage, and annoyed at the amount of space that was wasted on facets of the novel that seemed useless, to characters that were only to be used against Edie or used by her later on, and to events that could've been reduced to a couple of lines.

There were also a lot of sketchy concepts, particularly when it came to the technology available to those in the game. I appreciated that Aguirre didn't use the cop-out of magic to explain everything in her world, but some technological aspects were illogical or lacked explanation, like the strange solution that could be smeared on glass so that their conversation couldn't be overheard, which was a sort of moot point in the novel because every single one of Kian and Edie's conversation was incriminating, mirror salve or not. Another incredible suspension of disbelief came from the fact that absolutely no one had said or done anything about the horrible video the popular crew made of Edie. It seemed unbelievable to me that that would be around on the internet and not a single person made a big deal out of it, especially because of how brutal it was.

The romance was rather dull in my opinion. Not only did it happen way too fast - (they were kissing by page 50) - but it never felt real. On Edie's side, it felt like a thoroughly superficial obsession, and on Kian's, it was a startlingly co-dependent and yet somehow dry addiction. The worst part is that Aguirre did, in fact, give them pretty profound reasons to feel attracted to each other. They had sadness, rejection, isolation and tragedy in common, there was an understanding between them in the way they made their wishes/requests and they claimed to appreciate each other beyond their fake, beautiful faces, but at least to me, those never felt authentic. Those reasons were there, but they weren't the ones that emanated organically from their relationship. Moreover, they didn't really feel like they were in love until the end. I think it would've worked better if they had realized the depth of their feelings for each other after the events that take place in the end of the novel - all so that I wouldn't had had to read that super awkward dry-humping scene.

Although they came from very different circumstances, Kian repeatedly reminded me of Aguirre's love interest in the Razorland series, Fade. They had the same melancholic, quiet and tortured attitude, and both struggled under the weight of their massive emotional baggage. The big difference here is that I actually liked Fade. It's not exactly that Kian was unlikable, but rather that his entire characterization hinged so much upon his tragic past, that not much of him actually shined through. He had no discernible personality and was too much of a blank slate to me through most of the book.

When it comes down to it, Mortal Danger is a decent novel that delivers thrills and sets itself apart with a very dark tone. But not only was the novel unsatisfying for me, I also went in expecting something that never came to happen. The synopsis is very misleading, and I know that is designed to keep the mystery of the central plot, but I couldn't help feeling cheated. Original as the premise might be, the novel also feels rather familiar because of the characters and the main conflict. The novel doesn't exactly flow smoothly either; It was a slightly bumpy ride at times and very unexciting at others. Too much time is wasted on the romance, the developing of shallow friendships and wondering what is going on instead of actually finding out what it all means. Almost every single secondary character was written like a prop and used exactly that way by Edie, and none of the relationships in the book felt authentic, as much as Aguirre tried to make them work otherwise. In the end, this was a novel with a lot of potential that didn't come to fruition and instead left me feeling very frustrated.

[Angigames · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stelle e mezzo
Il libro parte bene. È questo che mi ha fregato!
L’autrice affronta tutte tematiche molto attuali e sentite: il bullismo, la perdita di speranza, la decisione del suicidio. I primi due capitoli sono eccezionali, Edie narra così bene le sue sensazioni che ho potuto sentirle sulla mia pelle. Sentivo tutto il dolore, il disagio, la rassegnazione. La narrazione si perde un pochino con l’entrata in scena del misterioso e ovviamente, bellissimo, Kian, perché diciamocelo, avviene tutto troppo in fretta. Ma io ho continuato la lettura cercando di ignorare tutti i piccoli fattori che mi mettevano in allarme (masochista!), perché in fondo amo il paranormal!
Edie accetta un contratto: tre desideri da esprimere, in cambio di tre misteriose operazioni per conto di una società molto particolare. La sete di vendetta porterà Edie ad esprimere il desiderio più semplice per il suo stato d’animo distrutto. Imparerà cosa significa veramente la bellezza, sarà circondata dagli amici che tanto sognava, verrà apprezzata, ammirata, invidiata… ma dovrà fare i conti anche col rovescio della medaglia… fatti oscuri e pericolosi…
Quello che non funziona per niente è, secondo me, il romance che raggiunge livelli più bassi degli stereotipi YA. Un esempio: la protagonista esprime il suo primo desiderio, cambia aspetto, si trasforma, ma l’animo è ancora ferito, eppure, per una che doveva essere timida e particolarmente incapace di istaurare rapporti con l’altro sesso, senza un minimo dubbio strappa un mega bacio al bello e dannato… cioè, ma davvero?! -.- più assurdo di così si muore! E questo non è che un unico episodio, è il primo di una lunga serie e alla fine mi sono cadute le ginocchia.
La storia in alcune parti si arena alla grande, mi ci è voluta tutta la mia forza di volontà per non lasciare perdere questa lettura e passare oltre. La trama passa da interessante a confusionaria a lenta a soporifera a di nuovo leggermente interessante, ma ormai è troppo tardi!
Chiudi il libro con una senso di liberazione!
L’Aguirre mi ha deluso, mi aspettavo molta più dinamicità e meno cliché… PECCATO!

[Sydney · Rating 2 out of 5]

OH Ann, please make this as wonderful and badass as your Razorland series



My reaction to the synopsis?



Read all my reviews at www.rattlethestars.com

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many girls are obsessed with their looks as if their self-worth is tied to how attractive they may be. And can you blame them? Our media is saturated with that message. Edie was a great character because of her complicated relationship with her looks. Even after she is turned "pretty" she struggles. Her feelings will resonate with those girls who don't think they are beautiful enough. I feel like this will be a good book to start a discussion about what beauty means, how we use it, and what is its true importance.

I love Faust stories. I am always fascinated with what people are willing to barter in exchange for their desires. Edie has to only promise a favor in the future. Doesn't sound like a bad deal... except it always is. It never works out for the poor soul who makes the deal. Edie is a smart girl, and I love how she uses her logic and smarts to get out of some tight spots. But even she cannot out think the beings who have been making deals for eons.

This was a great, fast paced read. There wasn't a lull in the action, and Edie and Kian make a great team. I look forward to a sequel.

[Sibel Gandy]

DNF %48
Okuyacak bir sürü kitap sırada beklerken buna devam edemeyeceğim. Belki seri tamamlandıktan sonra yeniden denerim 🤔

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre
Book One of the Immortal Game series
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

In Ann Aguirre's Mortal Danger, Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn’t imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She’s not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he’s impossible to forget.

In one short summer, her entire life changes and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly . . . bad things are happening. It’s a head rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil’s bargains, she isn't sure who—or what—she can trust. Not even her own mind.

What I Liked:

Um. In general? I don't think I was expecting this book to be what it turned out to be. At all. The summary isn't entirely indicative of the book, but in hindsight, this is a GOOD thing. I was a bit surprised when I reached some parts of the book, and discovered some things. Also, I didn't expect this book to be so... dark. Creepy. Not scary. But dark. Twisted.

Edie is about to commit suicide when she is offered a bargain she can't refuse from a gorgeous boy who seems to know her pain better than she does: she'll grant her three favors, she can get her revenge, but once her favors are granted, she is tied to the company for which he works. Edie takes the deal. She asks to become beautiful, so that she can get revenge on the beautiful, self-absorbed peers at Blackbriar. But things start to occur at Blackbriar, to the people she despises... but it's not her. It's not Kian, the guy who offered her the deal. Something dark is at work, a world in which Edie must find her way.

This book kind of has two parts: the first deals with Edie getting acquainted with Kian and her wishes and the whole bargain business. Also, it has to do with her going to Blackbriar, and feeling in control, for once in her life. The second part deals more with the dark occurrences at Blackbriar and surrounding Edie. Things she can't explain and doesn't understand start to unfold.

To be honest, the first half of this book was boring. I totally understand that Aguirre needed to lay the groundwork for the rest of the book - she did an excellent job of introducing readers to Kian and his deal, his boss, his enslavement. We get to know all about Edie's difficult life at Blackbriar and at home. She had a really hard time at Blackbriar - the "Teflon" crew, as she calls them, are a horrible bunch.

So I understand why the first half was slow, boring even, because the worldbuilding needed to be carefully constructed before the "real" stuff rolled around. And by "real", I mean DARK. The creepy, twisted stuff was more in the second half of the book, and that made things much more interesting. I was bored in the first half of the book, but I couldn't finish the second half/the book fast enough!

I like Edie a lot. I'm not saying I'm terribly ugly (which apparently, Edie was, she was horrible to look at, before the first wish Kian granted her). But in terms of nerdiness... yeah, we're both so there. Talk about physics/science/math nerdiness at its finest. I'm totally like her, in that sense. So I definitely felt for her, in that aspect. My parents aren't physicists, but I definitely felt the slavedriver regime they had me on when I was in elementary, middle, and high school. Now that I'm at Johns Hopkins University studying engineering... well, I've proven myself to them. I think.

Anyway. I liked Edie. I REALLY liked Kian. Kian comes off as perfect, but he isn't. He was also a kid on the verge of suicide, offered three wishes... and roped into the business. That explains his stunning good looks. It also explains why he isn't super arrogant or cocky, like many YA heroes. He's actually adorable and unsure of himself and cautious. I APPROVE.

I already mentioned the plot... let me tell you about the dark side of this book. Without spoiling things, of course. I seriously thought this book was all about Edie getting revenge on her peers. WRONG. That's scratching the surface of it all. Edie's life and wishes don't necessarily matter, in the grand scheme of things. Greater "powers" are at work here, and it gets bloody. Fast. Literally bodies flying everywhere. That's all I'm saying.

Despite my skepticism (after starting the book), I ended up really enjoying this book (as I seem to be doing with Aguirre's books in general). I definitely can't wait to read the next book! I feel like things are just getting started... like Aguirre is going to start blowing up things (figuratively and possibly literally as well).

What I Did Not Like:

I already mentioned this before, but the slow start to this book was a little painful, at times. But I understand why it was necessary. So maybe take this "dislike" in a positive light - if you're stuck in the first "half", in which it's all about Edie's makeover and her revenge, keep going. It gets better, more interesting, and creepier. Talk about dark. I don't want to say anything specific because the synopsis mentions nothing about the subject matter to which I'm referring, so I'll keep the "surprises" alive.

Would I Recommend It:

Definitely, if you're a fan of Aguirre's books. It seems like Aguirre is a natural storyteller, and this book is no exception to her talent. It's so great that she all but churns out so many books, and they're all really good (in my opinion)! I'll definitely be catching the sequel to this book, as soon as possible. In the meantime, I guess I'll have to be content with reading her other upcoming novels. What a hardship that is, LOL.

Rating:

4 stars. An excellent start to a new series! This book doesn't just have an awesome cover, but also, an amazing story!

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Unique dark story weaved with mystery, romance, and action. To be honest, it took me by surprise on where the story went but I loved every minute of it!

Opening Sentence: I was suppose to die at 5:57 a.m.

The Review:

Edie Kramer just finished her junior year of high school at the prestigious Blackbriar. She has attended Blackbriar for three miserable years and there is no way she can go through another. She has been bullied to the brink of her sanity, and she decides that the only way to end the torture is to commit suicide. She plans everything out perfectly, but just before she jumps to her death a mysterious boy stops her. His name is Kian and he offers her a deal that she just can’t refuse. Edie will be granted three favors that she has to use within the next five years. These favors can be whatever she wants, but in return she will have to grant three favors to WM&G, the mysterious company that can miraculously change Edie’s life forever.

The first thing Edie asks for is to become one of the beautiful people. She spends her whole summer learning how to become one of them so when school starts she can infiltrate their group and take them down one by one. Revenge never tasted so sweet, but as things start to progress the simple payback Edie was planning turns deadly. There is way more at stake than Edie could have ever imagined and she is just a pawn in a much bigger plan.

Edie was a very unique and interesting character. Given the circumstances it was obviously very easy to sympathize with but surprisingly I actually ended up really loving her as a character. I guess when I originally read the synopsis for the story I was worried that she was going to be a really depressed character and that it would be hard to connect with her. I don’t tend to like characters that are really negative about everything but luckily Edie was nothing like that. She does have many self esteem issues but for the most part she is actually a very positive person. As her confidence grew and she started to strive for what she wanted in life, I found that I could really relate with her on many different levels. No, I have never had to deal with the bullying that she did but I do know what it feels like to be insecure and undesired. I think that most teenagers know how this feels. Edie also has a lot of compassion for others and even though she is out for revenge on her enemies she never truly wanted anything horrible to happen to them. She just wanted them to get a taste of their own medicine. Another great thing about Edie was her intelligence. Yes, she makes some poor decisions throughout the story but she always thinks things through before she acts, and she doesn’t have to rely on others to fill her in, she uses her own brain to figure things out. Pretty much from the very beginning I liked Edie and my fondness for her just continued to grow through the entire story.

Kian was a very mysterious boy that I had mixed feelings for. At first, I really didn’t know what to think of him because you really don’t know anything about him besides the fact that he is drop dead gorgeous and that he offered Edie a chance at a second life. So at first I wasn’t really sold on him, but the more I got to know him the better I liked him. His story is a sad one and in many ways it was very similar to Edie’s. He isn’t a bad guy but he is stuck in a bad situation that really has no good ending. I slowly fell for his quiet charm and good heart. His relationship with Edie was adorable and I loved how good he treated her even before her makeover. They also had really great chemistry which is always a big plus. So, while I didn’t love Kian right off the bat, I eventually fell head over heels for him.

Mortal Danger was very unique and completely different from what I was expecting, but in a good way. There was mystery, suspense, drama, romance, and action all weaved into a very entertaining story. From the first page, I was hooked and I found that I couldn’t put the book down until I was finished. The pacing was done perfectly and the plot was very intriguing. All of the characters were very engaging and easy to connect with. I will say that there were some pretty gruesome moments in the story that freaked me out a little bit, so just a fair warning if you don’t like that kind of thing. I feel like this covered a wide variety of genres and because of that it will be a big hit with a lot of different people. This is actually the very first book I have read by Aguirre, but rest assured it won’t be the last. Her writing is very addictive and she really knows how to create a very intriguing premises. While the ending was very satisfying, I can’t wait to see what happens in the next installment. I would highly recommend this to YA fans across the board, like I mentioned earlier it covers so many different genres I think that most YA fans will love it.

Notable Scene:

Davina was making a joke when Brittany wheezed and then there was a wet sound, a splatter, and I leapt to my feet. No time to think about whether she’s want me to—I yanked open the curtain and even in the gloom, I saw so much blood, blood everywhere, staining her gown, her sheets, pouring from her mouth in a river of red. Jen came to my shoulder and screamed while Davina fumbled for the call button.

FTC Advisory: Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan provided me with a copy of Mortal Danger. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kara Babcock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger warnings for discussions of suicide and Faustian bargains with eldritch beings.

Mean Girls is one of my favourite movies of all time. It was the first movie I ever purchased for myself on DVD. (If you are reading this in the future, kids, DVDs were the optical media of choice for storing video, back before Netflix just decided to store everything directly in your brain.) It’s a scathing, fun, moving look at the harmful nature of high school hierarchies. While I was largely indifferent to and ignorant of those kinds of things in my high school, it’s something that fascinates me, and that I find particularly important now that I’m a teacher.

Mortal Danger has a lot in common with Mean Girls, right down to having its own version of the Plastics. (Ann Aguirre calls them Teflons in what can only be a deliberate tip of the hat.) Instead of the new girl at school infiltrating the Plastics in order to destroy and humiliate them from within, Edie Kramer does this—with some supernatural assistance—to get revenge for what the Teflons and their boytoy entourage did to her at the end of the previous school year. Unfortunately, things don’t go exactly as planned. She starts falling for her supernatural ally, who is beholden to the Big Bad and can’t help her the way she likes. And she discovers, rather uncomfortably, that the Teflons aren’t as non-stick as everyone believes.

I get why this book has so many lukewarm reviews on Goodreads. I was really looking forward to this, because Aguirre is one half of the team behind Bronze Gods , a delightful steampunk mystery novel. My reaction to finding this in the library stacks was long the lines of, “Whoa, Ann Aguirre wrote a YA novel?” and then a furtive glance around me to make sure no one overheard that comment and was coming to wrest the book from my hands before I could check it out. (Survival of the fittest patron and whatnot.)

Alas, this does not have a promising start. The opening scene, in which Kian saves Edie from suicide by persuading her with a Faustian bargain, is exposition-heavy. I’m not sure how Aguirre might have fixed this, because we don’t know Edie yet and haven’t had any time for Aguirre to show us why she’s suicidal. But it made for a rather dull opening, and the first third of the book isn’t much better.

Edie’s first of three wishes (Aguirre calls them favours, but they are wishes and Kian is just a glammed up genie, mmkay?) is for beauty. She wants a hot bod, and while I don’t blame a teenage girl for thinking this way, I was surprised Aguirre went there. It seemed like a shallow, or at least careless, reinforcement of body image norms. But I was more than happy to give Aguirre the benefit of a doubt, so I followed Edie as she goes off for the summer to develop confidence with her new look before returning to Blackbriar Academy to lay down some AAA revenge against the Teflons.

The book takes a turn for the better as Edie’s revenge plot thickens. Specifically, she discovers that the Teflons are actually people—shocking, but a far deeper idea than I expected after the disappointing beginning. Aguirre quickly develops the Teflons into three-dimensional girls who, like Edie, are full of insecurities and personality quirks, complete with the motivation for why they treated her so horribly. So what I was worried would be a hardcore revenge fantasy turns instead into a story of how Edie starts to understand the Teflons and even befriend some of them (all but the one who isn’t, it turns out, an actual inhuman monster).

Mean Girls follows a similar trajectory as it deconstructs the Plastics trope: the problem is not the people but the social structure they yolk themselves to like a deity hungry for sacrifices. After Cady splits up the Plastics, they all discover how to channel their own interests and talents in a fulfilling way. Similarly, Edie helps to change the dynamic of the Teflons for the better. Even when it comes to Cameron, perhaps the person for whom she feels the most animosity over his actions last year, Edie discovers a twinge of sympathy after learning about how his parents are seldom around and his genuine feelings for Brittany.

This is a dimension of the conversation around bullying and adolescent power dynamics that isn’t often discussed. It goes beyond the “oh, but bullies were probably bullied too” narrative. It’s a lesson that is very important, in my opinion, for teens to learn: you can feel sympathy for people even if you don’t like them. And it’s a lesson that, let’s face it, many adults seem to have forgotten, if the polarizing and often hyperbolic tone of many of the political discussions in social media (and on TV) are any evidence. Edie never gets to the point where she might call Cameron a friend like she does with Jen or Davina, but she can still sympathize with his troubles, even as she continues to hope he’ll get taken down a peg or two. The truth is, people are complex beings, and it’s worth acknowledging all our contradictions.

Just as this part of the story gets good, however, the supernatural aspects of Mortal Danger topple it. The cover copy of this book is very clever. It insinuates a fantasy element but plays coy, so you don’t really know if there is something supernatural involved for a while (even at the beginning, Kian seems to imply it’s more science than magic). Even as Edie learns more about Wedderburn’s origins and motives, Aguirre balances that by dangling the prospect of time travel in front of us.

Edie and Kian’s struggle to free her from Wedderburn and the Game is pretty compelling. Unfortunately, it is hamstrung by a couple of problems. Firstly, Edie and Kian just don’t have any chemistry, and their romance feels utterly forced in that “well, it’s YA, so I guess the boy and girl lead need to be involved, hurr hurr” kind of way. Kian is super-creepy and stalkerish, and he keeps concealing things from Edie “for her own good.” To be fair, Aguirre lampshades this, and Kian also makes it clear he values Edie’s intelligence and initiative. Secondly, Edie learns that Wedderburn wants her to burn her last two wishes as quickly as possible … and then does nothing about it. He gloats at the end that she plays right into his hands, and he is right. Although Aguirre attempts to give Edie fortitude and the ability to stand up to the various supernatural beings who confront her, none of this seems to allow her to do much in the way of planning or going on the offensive. She just waits around for things to happen, and meanwhile continues going to school and applying for colleges like nothing strange is happening.

So Mortal Danger is a strange combination of a Mean Girls–esque revenge story and a supernatural tale of the power of belief. It can’t quite balance these two elements, however, creating instead a lopsided narrative that never seems to reach a definitive climax. If the book could find a way to make up its mind, or meld these two elements together into a more unified plot, I could see this being a very powerful story. As it is, there are highlights—but these get dashed by the dull parts in between.

What disappoints me more, however, is how Edie never confronts her underlying trauma. She has been driven to suicide by the persistent, unapologetic bullying of her peers … and after Kian appears and beautifies her, those thoughts just seem to evaporate. Now, I’m not claiming to be an expert on this at all—and Aguirre talks about how parts of Edie’s experience come from her own adolescence, so I don’t want to discount her lived experience here. But a makeover—no matter how deep—and a summer away do not automatically fix your life. So Edie is still in deep denial. This, combined with the trauma her family experiences at the end of the book, does not bode well for her psyche in the sequel.

Mortal Danger has a lot of interesting elements that recommend it. But altogether I can’t get excited: it’s supernatural, but not supernatural enough; it’s high school drama, but not high school dramatic enough; it has strange, sometimes-laudable, sometimes-awful social commentary. In general, it seems like a novel that is full of ideas but can’t choose which ones it wants to embody.

[Lina (From the Verge) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"There's a pivotal moment just before death, when bargains can be made."

I chose to ignore this book’s synopsis, as I wanted that “jump blindly to the plot” experience. I’m so very glad I did. I am a long time fan of Ann Aguirre's books. Thus this was an immediate MUST read for me.

The book takes upon its shoulders a lot of complicated social issues and very craftily masters them. Allow me to pinpoint the precise moment this book hooked me: It begins with a suicide attempt. The main character Edie, a teenage girl, is in the brink of taking her own life. The reason behind her decision is simple: bullying in extremis. She is smart and methodical, as such, she plans the exact way/day/time for her death. However, things abruptly change once she is offered a crazy scary bargain by Kian, this random mysterious hot guy: become beautiful and extract revenge to those who pushed her to the limit. Simple, right? Not.

It touches themes of beauty, looks and the shallowness of school. Particularly how does it affect self esteem. Edie's bullying is painful and terrible. It was perfectly clear for me why she takes such extreme measures of death and revenge. I rooted for her!



Fate and choice become an important theme in this book. Edie's actions have a lot of consequences, potentially fatal! So she must thread carefully around her newly found agency.

Aguirre shows us through Edie's experiences possible explanations for bullying, or glimpses of why humans might behave in such a horrible way, without excusing their actions. It was amazing to read. Fear, shame and acceptance are all closely connected. Personally, it really touched me in a lot of ways, as I've been re-visiting some experiences that needed nice closure. Just for this, this book deserves 1.000 stars.

Beyond these themes, this book has scary horror stuff that can easily come from a terrible nightmare. All the monsters ever imagined are REAL and Edie realizes she bargained more than she expected... starting with her sanity. I was creeped out with this atmosphere of horrors and vividly described gory scenes. Particularly, it reminded me of one of the final scenes of the 1995 movie Seven (starring Brad Pitt & Kevin Spacey): a box which we never see its contents but we ALL know what it has *shudders*.



On a side note, I have to mention Kian, the main male interest, he is definitely not my cup of tea, however, in my experience with Aguirre's books, characters I dislike, get better as the plot thickens.

Another thing I noticed and liked, where the excellent gender roles to follow with Edie's parents. Edie's dad cooks their meals, her mom is oblivious to looks and fashion, rather focusing on her academic life. Yay! for breaking some stereotypes. And on this line of thought about debunking stereotypes: *APPLAUSE* as it questions the assumptions regarding rich Colombians and its immediate connection to cartels (1.000 stars more just for this titbit on the 27% mark).

In sum, I have a feeling that this series will stay in my mind for a while, as it deliciously enthralled me with its horrors and human responses to extreme behaviours. More please :)

-----
Fictional Meals




There is a recurrent theme I see in Aguirre's books: the great food her characters eat!

We have stuffed artichokes, brussels sprouts, poached halibut and oatmeal, deliciously described like this: steel cut, hearty, topped with brown sugar, crushed walnuts, butter, and raisins. I'm hungry!

There was a very famous Chilen poet. Pablo Neruda, who was a skilful writer and cook. He mixed his two passions in some of his poems. Here is an excerpt of his Ode To The Artichoke, it reminded me of Edie's struggles:

"The artichoke
With a tender heart
Dressed up like a warrior,
Standing at attention, it built
A small helmet
Under its scales
It remained
Unshakeable"

- Find the whole version at: http://allpoetry.com/Ode-To-The-Artic...

----
I received an ARC for this book from Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for my new nightmares with closed boxes >_<

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review can also be found on A Thousand Lives Lived, check it out for more!

Ann Aguirre's books are a girl's best friend. Mortal Danger has been on my must-get TBR list for ages, and after reading her newest, The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things, I found that it was so relatable to me and that I needed more from Aguirre as soon as possible. This time around, the story was much more dark and eerie, but eerie in the sense that is totally satisfying. The concept of the Immortal Game trilogy is utterly brilliant, and I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this so much if you already liked Scott Westerfeld's Uglies. This novel is just as racing as her others, and I am totally in love with what was handed to me, in a way.

Mortal Danger is pretty great. I did not expect to have the concept go this deep, and it was surprising in that extra special way that will make you scream and be captivated to everything else that this author has written. The only other book that I read by Aguirre was chick-lit, girly and bubblegum pink fun. This? This was something else, and not everyone will enjoy it. It was nice and all, but there is nothing memorable about the story, just letting you know.



Beauty does not matter. At least, that's what I've been taught about all my life and continue to believe that as I walk around modern society. But this book basically tells humanity the opposite. Beauty is the way to popularity, to attention. Aguirre does not feature anything throughout this novel about good human characteristics and personality traits, like intelligence. The main character, Edie, is bound to become beautiful and to her, that's the way that she'll stop getting teased and bullied at her extra top-notch boarding school called Blackbriar, where most of the story takes place. There are paranormal aspects with apocalyptic-like mystery serving around Edie and her forbidden relationship with Kian, the guy who offered this new life to her.

This is a confusing story. It seemed like Aguirre just tumbled everything on top of readers and we spent the time reading trying to climb out and throw the blocks away. It was slow-paced, confusing, and not my favourite story at all. The concept was nice, but it would have been much nicer if the author took a simpler, basic stand onto Edie's story. I expected this to be a new addition to my shelves of favourites, but it did not take that toll at all. The plot was mismatched, like a gross pair of mismatched socks that did not go together with the characters and all. Edie had an attitude that was always unsure, even when her identity changed and was supposed to act different in this new dimension thing.



Paranormal? Ugh. Paranormal and dystopians are so 2012, and I dislike both, but I would have preferred Aguirre to take this on a more science-fiction spice. This is urban fantasy, but I literally expected a vampire or werewolf to show up in the story out of nowhere. It was 80% possible for the way the things turned out to be. I rolled my eyes, expected more, and wanted more, actually. I forgot about half of the story and it's only been a week since I last picked it up. It's sad.

Edie and Kian. That is the KIND OF COUPLE I needed. For a book like this, we want mysteriousness mixed with sexiness at the same time. Their chemistry and reason for being together was memorable and perfect. An Oscar winning couple, to be honest.

Mortal Danger is entertaining, and one of the traits about it that could surely catch your attention is the themes. Beauty, and the concepts that many of us currently believe in, in modern society are thoroughly explained through an urban fantasy story that is very, very nice. I would not read the sequel, but Aguirre's novels are surely on my radar and I enjoy her writing greatly. Kian = new book boyfriend though, just letting you know.

[Paige Bookdragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My name is Edie Kramer, and I'm afraid I made a deal with the devil.."

Ladies, gents and in-betweens, let us please pause for awhile and give this effing book a round of applause.



After a crappy series of depressing, happiness-sucking, let-me-slit-my-writ books, I finally found a book that puts me on edge.We have Edie Kramer, a geeky girl who decided to commit suicide when the bullying at her school become too much to handle. But before she could do anything drastic,she was saved by a young man who promised to grant her three wishes in order for three favors in return.


When Edie accepted the faustian compact,(which according to Google,is a contract or a deal with the devil),the game to make those fuckers pay for what they did to her began.

With Kian's help, Edie is ready to make those suckers pays for all the cruel things they did to her.


Little did Edie know, that there is a much
bigger game that's playing. Something much more dangerous and the players involved are much more deadly...(cue in Twilight zone song)

I never had any suicidal thoughts (only dirty ones) so I can't relate to Edie's wish to kill herself on the bridge. That doesn't mean I don't understand what she's feeling. Revenge is a wonderful topic and I was excited to read how Edie will do it.

This is my first Anne Guirre book and I can definitely say that I will be reading more of her books in the future. Mortal Danger is a well written fast paced book that keeps on shocking me due to some twists and revelations and I can't ask for more.

I love Edie's character. She was pushed to the point of insanity with
her classmates in the preppy school and when she become a bad ass during
her avenging phase, she still retains her smart witty self. She's still someone I can like. (Read: She did not become an idiot just because she became
beautiful.)

And of course, Kian is such a lovely hero. The combination of evil and good.I love the fact that he admits he already liked the Edie before Edie's beauty change.




Another thing that I love about this book:
The urban legends and mythology.
I have a weakness for any urban legend or mythology series. There's something enigmatic with those inhuman beings and their capriciousness. Ann Aguirre didn't disappoint in that aspect. She gave us some characters that
makes you guess as what they really are and where their motives lie. She's also a fan of mini cliffhangers.

What I learned:

1. You can be a genius or a funny person and yet that doesn't exclude you
from having suicidal thoughts. Anyone can have them.

2. If you want revenge, don't make a pact with the devil. Try some assassins
first. There's a reason why those bastards exist.

3. People just always asked to be beautiful when someone gave them the
opportunity to be one. Why can't they ask for the Presidency?

Favorite quotes:
"Everyone needs one true thing. I want him to be mine..."

"People can be monsters too."

[Jessica Reigle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be warned, this is pretty dark book. A freaking fantastic book but dark.

Review originally posted at Step Into Fiction

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

This cover is perfect. It’s creepy, it’s dark and it’s extremely fitting. Before reading the book, when I first saw this cover I was really excited. You could tell it was going to be dark but I had no idea how dark. I also wasn’t sure I liked the name change from Mortal Beauty to Mortal Danger but you know what? It works.

Now that that is out of the way. I took a long time reading this book and before you go ‘uh oh, that’s not a good sign’ – back on up. It’s a great sign but it just wasn’t one of those books you can breeze through. I loved Ann Aguirre’s other YA series, Razorland, and I devoured those books. I wanted to read this book, really read this book and savor it. It became impossible to do toward the end but I tried really hard, I swear I did. I found my eyes jumping ahead and I made myself go back and read what I skipped over. As much as I try, I always do this (hence why ebooks are good for me).

There are still things left unanswered in this book and I’m really looking forward to seeing the answers in the next book or maybe even the last book. There are characters that I know will make another appearance in the next book and honestly, I really can’t wait for that.

The first few pages of this book are depressing and just make you want to hug our main character, even though we don’t know a thing about her. She needs a hug and we’re willing to give it to a complete stranger. But she didn’t need it because cue in a good looking stranger whose willing to help her. There’s a catch. There’s always a catch, right?

Edith, or Edie as we know her – she is awesome. She’s very relatable because she’s real. She’s a bit of a nerd, she’s a loner and she was bullied, a lot, at her school. I understand not everyone knows what that all feels like but I’m sure most of us do. I know I do so I can definitely relate. Wanting payback for the pain they caused you and basically doing anything to achieve this. Because of a deal she made with our mysterious stranger, she can begin paying back her tormentors.

Our mysterious stranger is an attractive young man, Kian, who offers Edie a deal she can’t refuse. Heck, he only asks her to listen to his offer, if she doesn’t like it, she’ll let her continue with what she was intending to do to herself. This guy wasn’t supposed to be someone that Edie would see a lot of but then suddenly, he’s in charge of her and her alone. Things quickly change between them and while she’s wondering how much she can trust him, the reader is questioning the same things. Can he or can’t he be trusted? Is he or isn’t he using her because of his boss? Is he or isn’t he behind they mysterious happenings at her school? So many doubts and so many questions.

So even though it’s dark, creepy (seriously, I may have had a few nightmares because of this book) and mysterious as you question yourself and the characters all throughout, it’s full of many steamy, swoon-worthy moments. The romance has moments where it’s so smoking hot, you wonder if you’ve been thrown in a sauna. It’s a fantastic mix of everything and it’s blended perfectly. The ending, while it’s not much of a cliffhanger, it still has you desperate for more.

Thank you so much to Jean Feiwel over at Macmillan for sending me this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Colleen Houck]

Scary! I remember hearing Ann talk about this book and warn readers that if you are afraid of things that go bump in the night, then this book isn't for you. She wasn't wrong. =) Having said that, I love Kian. He is all kinds of amazing and I really identify with Edie on a lot of levels though I wasn't teased nearly as badly as she was. Can't wait to move on to book two and find out what happens!

[RIN ಠ_ಠ]

Kuroshitsuji-esque vibes. Can't wait!! :)

[Zemira Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a strange book. It was a mix of horror, paranormal, and in a way, it was contemporary.

[Taschima · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Imagine a world where, if enough people believe in them, the nightmares come true."

...and with that single quote the whole intention of the book changes. I thought it was about revenge, but clearly it seems I was mistaken because there are other things that take precedence; like everything else. Let's just say that summary is a bit misleading.



There are so many interesting facets to Mortal Danger; the smart girl who was put down and rose from the ashes to take revenge on her enemies, the guy who comes out of the shadows to help her in her quest, the possibility of time travel, faustian favors, intrigue, forbidden love… Mortal Danger has it all. But then it continues adding facets and more facets to the story, monsters, Bloody Mary, weird firms that deal with the devil (which remind me of Wolfram & Hart from the Angel series), an overall game, obscure gods... It reaches too far. It tries to be so much it falls short in every category and ends up being this convoluted mess.

Mortal Danger is a mix of Mean Girls with Supernatural with Faustian favors with time traveling with... Basically it is a lot of things in one, so many things that it kind of loses perspective after a little bit. Set in a private high school while not solely basing all its intrigue in said high school social dynamic. Mortal Danger deals with supernatural forces that seemingly “help” those who have given up on life (and who have the brightest futures ahead of them); for a price. Which reminds me of crossroads demons from Supernatural, only in Mortal Danger you get three wishes in the span of 5 years and the business people find you.

"Some people might think this was a superficial request, but they wouldn't understand why I wanted it. Not just so I'd know-for once-what it was like to be one of the beautiful people. No, once I got inside the golden circle, I' dismantle it brick by brick. A sharp, angry smile cut free, and I didn't care what Kian thought. From this point forward, I had a goal-and planning was my forte."

The thing about Mortal Danger is that in the beginning it held much promise, which is why I stuck around. This broken girl was push to her inner edge and she was about to give up on life someone offers her the deal of a lifetime, to get revenge on those who have wronged her. It was intriguing and already the author had me hooked. But then it tried to incorporate too much too quickly. I was into it for the revenge factor, this girl, this smart girl who has a grudge that is justified, was going to make them pay. Only, she loses sight of her goals as soon as she is included in the inner club. Kind of reminds you of Mean Girls, don't it? She is still nice and all but she definitely steals the queen bee state from the ruling girl.

Edie is a smart cookie. She impresses me in that she pays close attention to details. But after a while she becomes extremely paranoid about everything and everyone around her. I love a little skepticism in my YA heroines, but she took it to the limit. The guy couldn’t say ANYTHING without her being like “Oh, look you can put three words together and say something charming, YOU MUST BE EVILS.” It got a little old too fast, which made me slow down my reading because I was annoyed with her.

It is kind of sad when less than half way in you already know the ending. It was too damn obvious. Some deaths I didn't see coming, but the ending? I nailed it. So it was a little, eh, boring.

The romance was neither here nor there. Edie for the most part didn't trust her romantic interest, though she REALLY wanted to. She wouldn't even call him for help because she didn't want to become codependent. Am, if I am stuck in a supernatural world of trouble you bet your ass I am going to call the only person who might hold some information that may save me! And not just, make out with him and waste his brain full of information.

So, Mortal Danger main problem is that it tried to bite more than it could chew. What I thought was going to be one thing turned out to be something completely different, and slightly creepy. It would have been fine if I knew form the start what I was getting myself into... but I didn't know. I still sort of don't know. It felt like it was two different stories trying to merge together but they didn't manage to do this in harmony.

[Alexandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un amore diabolico è un YA che intende trattare un tema molto delicato, il bullismo a scuola, inserendolo in un contesto fantasy che sfrutta varie mitologie e personaggi basati sulle antiche leggende, come l'Oracolo di greca memoria o i cosiddetti vampiri psichici, quelli cioè che anziché succhiare il sangue si nutrono dell'energia della vittima.
La protagonista è Edie, una diciassettenne assolutamente nerd, molto intelligente e poco avvenente ragazza di Boston, che frequenta una scuola esclusiva dove non ha praticamente vita sociale. Non solo, è costantemente presa di mira dal gruppo più esclusivo della scuola, quello dei belli e assolutamente perfetti ragazzi ricchi e viziati.
Un giorno, Edie subisce uno scherzo da parte del gruppo che la spezza definitivamente. Costretta a comportarsi in tutto e per tutto come un cane, ad abbaiare e a mangiare da una ciotola cibo per cani, trascinata con un collare al collo e ripresa dalla videocamera di un telefonino, subisce l'ulteriore violenza di vedere la scena su YouTube, gettata in pasto a migliaia di persone.
Edie decide che ne ha abbastanza e che non vale la pena continuare a vivere.
Il suo piano di gettarsi da un ponte, però, viene fermato da un giovane molto attraente dagli ammalianti occhi verdi, Kian.
Il ragazzo le offre la possibilità di sottoscrivere un patto che le consentirà di ottenere tre desideri, in cambio di altrettanti favori alla Società per cui Kian lavora.
Edie accetta, chiedendo per prima cosa di ottenere l'aspetto ideale di sè, diventando bella con l'unico scopo di tornare a scuola e distruggere dall'interno il gruppetto di ragazzi che l'hanno fatta soffrire, facendo provare loro cosa significa essere tormentati.
Questa la trama generale del libro.
L'autrice, per sua stessa ammissione, è stata vittima di bullismo e, da nerd quale sono e quindi piena di stranezze, non ho avuto difficoltà a immedesimarmi in Edie e nelle sue sofferenze. Il viaggio di Edie nel mondo di coloro che l'hanno profondamente ferita, però, non è così semplice.
Edie scopre che il loro modo di comportarsi è dettato da altre profonde insicurezze, che li spingono a rivalersi sugli altri solo per aumentare la propria autostima.
Il messaggio che l'autrice vuole lanciare è:
è molto facile essere un’emarginata goffa e stramba come Edie, arrivare a chiedersi se si mancherebbe a qualcuno se si sparisse per sempre gettandosi da un ponte o stringendosi un cappio al collo. La disperazione non dovrebbe mai essere sottovalutata e il suicidio non può mai essere la fine del dolore, semmai ne genera ancora di più.
Il libro vuole essere un modo per arrivare a toccare la coscienza e immedesimarsi in Edie. La morte non è mai la soluzione.
Il patto che Edie stipula, però, non è indolore.
La ragazza si innamora di Kian, la cui storia è molto simile alla sua ed è controllato dalla Società per cui lavora.
Ecco la parte fantasy del libro: l'autrice ha immaginato un mondo in cui, se abbastanza persone ci credono, gli incubi possono diventare realtà.
Questi incubi (gli immortali) hanno deciso di usare le persone come pedine in un loro gioco, solo allo scopo di divertirsi, giocando uno contro l'altro una partita fatale per il genere umano.
Perché ho dato 3 stelle?
Il tema trattato e la trama mi hanno convinto ma ho trovato la storia molto prolissa. A tratti mi sono annoiata e ho trovato insensate le eccessive paranoie di Edie su Kian.
A volte, nel voler inserire miti e leggende e personaggi paranormali, mi sembra che l'autrice abbia esagerato e quindi non ho apprezzato in pieno il libro. Lo stile è piuttosto fluido e semplice. Parecchie le citazioni di Einstein e di film e serie TV assolutamente da nerd.
Menzione speciale alla copertina e al titolo italiani, per una volta mantenuti dall'originale.

[Beck]

*tosses into giveaway pile*

DNF around 30something percent.

I can't even with this book. I think it's time for me to stop requesting paranormal romances and also start listening to my gut. But to be fair to myself: the plot isn't mentioned in the blurb at all.

Mortal Danger is NOT the story of a girl who has lost all hope and makes a bargain with the devil. Nooo. This is the story of two warring paranormal corporations that use time travel and other wacky shit to... do what? Alter history? I don't know.

Basically, this book is a mess. A hot, steaming mess. It hits on every paranormal romance trope you can think of, include the stalker boyfriend and the girl who (literally) isn't pretty until she meets him. I was wary at the very beginning of the book when we're introduced to Kian - I mean, Edie is saved from the brink of KILLING HERSELF by a hot boy. Whatever.

To make matters worse, Mortal Danger pounds the reader over the head with constant themes of beauty being the end all be all. Beauty = superiority in the world of Mortal Danger. I mean, Edie was bullied to within an inch of her life, by The Beautiful People. But now that she's one of them, she bears no lasting internal scars. She immediately possesses the confidence, grace, and charisma of a person born into that beauty. It's ridiculous and there was just no way to suspend that disbelief. Literally the days of her transformation she was able to approach people, flirt, manipulate and land a boyfriend. There's just. No. Way.

Also, Edie is an asshole who will shame a girl for binging and purging, and then turn around and complain about how offensive it is that guys think girls are shallow. Give me a fucking break. I do not expect Edie to have any love for these girls, trust me. I kind of expected the eating disorder comment. But to be so fucking sanctimonious in her hypocrisy just killed it for me.

But whatever, shame on me for not listening to my gut. I knew I shouldn't have picked this up, after the way rape was handled in the first Razorland book. I'll let this be a learning experience.

[♥ Ashleigh ♥ Contrary to popular belief I'm not actually mad! · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't be bother writing a review so I'm posting my last status update cause I'm lazy.....

Have i ever mentioned how much i adore Ann Aguire and her incredible talent with words? no? well let me just inform you this women can do no wrong, i can say that no matter what i picked up of her work it will be brilliant and i will love it. Don't get me wrong there are small issues, but who cares! when you get so thoroughly swept away your living another life in another world! its astounding!!

This is pretty much how i felt.... over a week or so period my feelings aren't as strong and vibrant, but it was still a good book so I'm rating it four stars. I like how it covered suicide, difficult and touchy subject, Ann handled it really well! the rest...well it was different, still good just different. lol. you'll get what i mean if you read the book, which you should totally do.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received this book directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

*Genre* Paranormal
*Rating* 3.0

*My Thoughts*

Ann Aguirre's Mortal Danger (Immortal Game, #1) begins a new series that focuses on Edith (Edie) Kramer, and a game that is being played out between two separate presumably paranormal forces that use humans as their chess pieces.

**FOR MY FULL REVIEW, PLEASE GO TO GIZMOS REVIEWS*

http://www.gizmosreviews.blogspot.com...

*Recvd 04/25/2014 via MacMillian* Expected publication: August 5th 2014 by Feiwel & Friends

[Dear Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminds me of Persona, the game on PS. Not the 3 and 4, mind you... those were fun but not creepy. Persona 1 and 2 WERE creepy.

[Leggere Romanticamente · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stelline e mezzo

La recensione sul blog http://www.leggereromanticamente.com/...