Welcome To Sortilege Falls

Grape Merriweather #1

by Libby Heily

Sixteen-year-old Grape Merriweather has just moved to Sortilege Falls and already she knows something isn't right. A small pack of teenage models, too beautiful for words, holds the town in their sway. The models have no plans on making Grape's life easy. But no matter how cruel they are to Grape and the other “Normals”, no one can stay angry with them for long.

Grape's life changes for the better, or so she thinks, when Mandy, the only “nice” model, befriends her. But that’s when the trouble truly begins. Mandy's friendship places Grape smack in the middle of a medical mystery that has the entire town on edge. One by one, the models fall ill from an incurable disease. Grape quickly realizes that the models' parents are hiding a secret, even as they watch their children die. To save her only friend, Grape will have to find the truth–and that means putting her life in danger.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Magic, Paranormal

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2016

About the author

I’m a writer and an improviser. My young adult fantasy series is published through Fire and Ice YA Publishing. My short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including Daily Science Fiction, Kaaterskill Basin Literary Journal, Twisted Sister Literary Magazine, and Theaker’s Quarterly.

I also love chocolate, cheese, running, club soda, and my husband – not necessarily in that order.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fellow bookworms, I have a confession to make. Sometimes, I request books from NetGalley and I don't even read the book summary. After reading this book, I believe that I should probably start doing that. Because this YA series just wasn't my cup of tea. The teens in this story were so shallow and that included the main protagonist, Grape. Good looking people are dying and apparently it is the fault of a bunch of gnomes.Oh and a vampire makes a cameo.

Let this be a lesson to me.



Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving home and school is never easy but for sixteen year old Grape Merriweather it is the start of a life changing traumatic time for her, her family and the people of Sortilege Falls, the town where she moved to. Their new home is fine but the people who live there are decidedly odd! There is a small group of incredibly beautiful teens, the models, who seem to control everything in the town - and even if they’re horrid to others no one stays cross with them, they seem to be able to get away with anything. As Grape and her brother Brad endeavour to settle into the new town, eventually making friends, that’s when things go really weird. The models start to suffer from a mysterious illness, garden gnomes seem very popular and it appears that the parents of the models all have a secret, one that Grape is determined to uncover to save her friend.

This is a very different young adult story involving mystery, fantasy, suspense and magic. It is the start of a new series with a heroine who is determined, inquisitive, caring and considerate. The other characters are also well developed, each with their own quirks. The ‘worshipping’ of the models by the townsfolk, the mysterious illness and the reasons for it all are revealed in the end but this actually sets up another problem, one that will hopefully be solved in the next book in this series - I can’t wait to read it!

I received a free copy of this book via Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Lu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book on Net galley in exchange for an honest review.
What on Earth did I just read?
When I started out in the beginning of this novel I had high hopes because it seemed to be an interesting read, however the author pulled in so many elements from different book genres it left me super confused.

A quick tldr of this book is that it follows the story of a girl named Grape who moves to a town where everyone is enamored with these beautiful teenagers who live there. However there are some secrets going on that makes everyone like these teenagers so much.

First off there were so many plot holes and the flow of the writing was way off. Also the author sometimes put sooo much detail into sections that had no need for it. An example, every single meal that Grape are was analyzed in depth down to the cheesiness if the French onion soup. (Yes that actually happened). I just felt like this book was a mix of fantasy, mystery, contemporary and it was poorly executed so that when I finished reading the book I was scratching my head bewildered at what I just read.

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Thank you to Netgalley and Fire and Ice YA Publishing for a free digital copy of this book!)

Grape just moved to Sortilege falls with her mother and her little brother and it becomes obvious soon enough that something isn't right here. There are a bunch of stunningly beautiful teenagers that are just too beautiful to be real. When these kids fall ill one after the other and die, she starts digging.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the book and the town... creepily beautiful with some secret lurking. The suspense was working nicely in the first half which left me guessing and wondering what is going on there. In the second half however things drag a bit, when no answers come at first for way too long and then the last bit seems just... as if the author had lost a bet and certain bits HAD to get tossed into the story.

I was also missing a real love story, but maybe that will change in a possible sequel... and I hope there will be one because that ending just screams for one!

All in all this was a pretty entertaining book and if you don't mind the feeling, that your book is suddenly on drugs this might be just the right choice for you!

[Frank McKennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Talented New Author Presents Another Exciting and Unusual Tale

Sortilege Falls is a fast paced, engrossing short novel perfect for a summer read. The characters naturally reveal a depth of personality that the reader is able to relate to their flaws and assets without bogging down the pace of story. Also, for the young and not so young reader, the familiar and uncomfortable setting of the new kid in school, the selfish, driven parents, a setting with the twist of fantasy and fable holds ones attention to the conclusion. Libby, I hope you follow this up with another book or two to quench the thirst for an answer to a number of hanging question.

Very much recommend this book to young folk and to the young minded folk for a fun ride.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to sortilege by Libby Heily.
Sixteenyearold Grape Merriweather has just moved to Sortilege Falls and already she knows something isn't right. A small pack of teenage models, too beautiful for words, hold the town in their sway. The models have no plans on making Grape's life easy. But no matter how cruel they are to Grape and the other "Normals", no one can stay angry with them for long. Grape's life changes for the better, or so she thinks, when Mandy, the only "nice" model, befriends her. But that's when the trouble truly begins. Mandy's friendship places Grape smack in the middle of a medical mystery that has the entire town on edge. One by one, the models fall ill from an incurable disease. Grape quickly realizes that the models' parents are hiding a secret, even as they watch their children die. To save her only friend, Grape will have to find the truthand that means putting her life in danger.
This was a good read with likeable characters.  4*.

[Neil · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
This was just not for me.
The story was supposedly for teens but the writing seemed to be for so much younger.
The characters was shallow and it felt totally unrealistic.

[Kayla K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting and captivating read, I really enjoyed the characters and the plot! This book is about a girl named Grape Merriweather (yes, that's her real name!) whose family moves to a new community called Sortilege Falls. She encounters a group of gorgeous people labeled the Models, since, hence the name, they had experience in modelling and/or acting. They aren't just any normal models, though! All of a sudden, one model dies of an unknown cause, and then a couple other models follow suit and also get sick, unfortunately one of them including Grape's celebrity crush, Lance Irving. People knew that a model had caught the disease if they were clutching their stomach in pain, which led to fainting and thus being taken to the emergency room. Even though Grape only really was able to bond with one of the models, Mandy, she and her brother, Brad, were still determined to uncover the mystery of what was causing this illness, and why it only affected the models! By the end of the story, Grape and Brad knew that knowing this information was worth it, because eventually they had to help save Mandy! This story starts off like a nice contemporary read because of Grape's move and trying to fit in and get adjusted to the change, but it turns into dystopia/fantasy once the first model gets sick! I felt like I could really sympathize for Grape when she experienced all of those losses over the course of the book. Losing one loved one is hard, but losing a whole bunch at relatively the same time is just another story in itself. Nevertheless, I found that Grape was really strong and coped with everything so well, and didn't let all that stress and grief get under her plate. Mandy was also just so sweet (well, for the most part) and lent Grape a shoulder to cry on while they both grieved for their lost friends together. The mystery revolving the situation kept me hooked, as I was so curious to know how the illness struck! I would recommend this book to any teen reader looking for a book boasting a little bit of everything: fantasy, dystopia, mystery, high school problems, three-dimensional characters... it's all here, and ready for you to read on May 31st!

[Paula Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever had to write a review on a book that you just couldn't wrap your head around? That's how I found Welcome to Sortilege Falls which should have read with a tagline under it to say if you aren't a model , then you are like a piece of gum on the sidewalk. You are not important and are frowned upon. In this book Grape's family moved to the small-town of Sortilege Falls, though this place isn't like any small-town where Grape has lived before in fact this small-town is known for its beautiful teens that are Models. The whole town seems to be affected by their looks and it is almost like "normals" become so mesmerized, that the beautiful can hypnotize others. Grape discovers she is not as affected by the models impact as others and becomes friends with one of the nicer ones. Soon though the Models all start getting either sick and eventually dying off. What has caused this to happen and it seems that the only one who has any guts and ideas on how to solve this issue is Grape and her little brother Brad who has a plant fetish - he's obsessed with nature. What will happen though when it is discovered that the only way for the cure to work is an eye for an eye type justice system? Will Grape be able to live with the consequences of her actions or is it too much of a risk to take? I personally found this book quite a struggle to read and hard to connect to as it wasn't written like a busy novel but it felt overly busy and the characters were quite difficult to connect to as their egos seemed even too big for the story. I did find the ending though sad and it made my heart break. I am curious to see how Libby continues the story as I am hoping with the way that Welcome to Sortilege Falls finished, there will be a book #2.

[D.G. Driver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating YA book. I've never read anything quite like it, and it kept me interested all the way to the end. It has kind of a Stepford Wives feel at the beginning when Grape, her mother, and brother Brad move to this new town to start over after the death of her father. Everyone in this town is a bit off. There are these extra beautiful teens everyone calls Models whose mere presence makes people bow to them. Grape is only mildly affected by them, and she winds up friends with one of them who longs to not have this strange life. Still, there are more weird things in town than this, like a man who looks and acts like a vampire, a boy who is quite strange and has a thing for Grape, parents of the Models tramping about in the woods, creepy garden gnomes everywhere, and her own brother strangely and quietly obsessed with plants. When the models start dying mysteriously, Grape and her new friends try to find out why - and the clock is ticking. It ends with a huge cliffhanger, and I'm glad the sequel is out so I can find out what happens next. This book was more like strange things happening in a contemporary story, but the next book looks to be much higher fantasy. The only thing that bothered me in the book was that a major character thing for Grape was that she ate all the time. She was described as pretty but not Model pretty and only size 4, but she was constantly drinking soda, eating half a pizza, donuts, etc. I half expected to find out that she had a little of the Model magic because she could eat all that and not gain weight. I just think there was a bit too much of that. Also, I would've liked to see the ending drawn out a bit more to answer a few more questions. Still, it was enjoyable and clean, perfect for kids 12 and up.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an unedited version of this book prior to publication

I loved this story. 16 year old Grape fit in just fine at her old school, but when she moves with her mother and brother to Sortilege Falls, she soon finds that this town is nothing like her old one. The townsfolk are obsessed with a group of teens known as The Models because they are all inhumanely beautiful. They're all real jerks, except for Mandy, who becomes Grape's only friend in school.

I think what I loved most about this book is that the author could have written this as a straight fantasy novel, but instead chose to disguise the fantasy elements in a contemporary setting. I have a feeling the sequel will have more fantasy elements.

I feel like the author portrayed her characters the way she wanted. The Models came across as stuck up and self absorbed, even Mandy was a little bitchy but not in the way the others were. Grape came across as a nice girl, but one who was used to being fairly popular, and was now out of her element.

The mystery of the models illness, once revealed, was pretty cool. The ending could have wrapped up with a big bow, but instead Heily set things up for a sequel, which will hopefully allow Grape to set things back to normal.

The only thing this book lacks is a romantic subplot for Grape, but this book honestly did not need it. In a world of books with romance, it's refreshing once in a while to find one without.

Like I said above, I love this story and I'm excited for the sequel!


Note: I do work for the publisher, however I stand by my review and rating. I really enjoyed this book.

[Paige Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted on Between Reality

Well, if I hadn’t had my tear ducts removed and my heart wasn’t completely stone, I’d be balling right now. Welcome to Sortilege Falls captivated my interest and tore my emotions to shreds. Gosh, I can barely even talk about it.

I adore Grape Merriweather. I literally adore her. I love how much she eats and that even when she’s called fat, she continues to eat because that’s what she loves to do. It’s not in an unhealthy way either, she just has a great appetite. It reminded me of myself, truthfully, which I loved and could relate to. Grape is about as unique as her name is and if I ever have kids, I just might name one of my kids after her. She asked questions, stuck up for herself and her friends, and consistently handled herself so well. Grape was funny, serious, kind, inquisitive, intelligent, and an all around amazing character.

The other characters were great too. The Models, Grape’s brother (Brad), Mandy, the family members, and some oddballs that were included. I admit that I got attached to them, which made it even harder to let go of this book.

Read the rest of this review and more here: Welcome to Sortilege Falls Review

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Welcome to Sortilege Falls" centers around Grape Merriweather who has moved to a new town (Sortilege Falls) with her mother and brother. This small town has an abnormal number of models (later known as Models, a group on their own) whom the town adores, no matter how mean/rude they are. Grape, immune to their looks, befriends one, Mandy. Soon, the Models begin falling ill and dying. Grape sets out to find answers and a cure before her friend Mandy dies.

Despite having a Stepford feel, this book is a surprising unique hit, setting itself far apart from other, seemingly similar books. It's well written and engaging- I could hardly put it down and didn't want it to end.

The mystery keeps you hooked all the way until the end, and then, even after you finish (still thinking about it!). I am really hoping for more books in this series very soon. I want to know more about this world and explore it further, it's that intriguing/fascinating!

Please note that I received this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Beth Ann Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story. It's witty and clever filled with typical teenage angst with a side of mystery. Grape Merriweather moves to Sortilege Falls with her mother and younger brother. She soon realizes that all is not as it seems and nothing is normal. Strange, beautiful "Models" hold the town in thrall. The "Normals" are captivated by the "Models" to the point of obsession. One by one the "Models" fall ill and begin to die. Grape sets out the solve the mystery at a great loss to herself. I cannot wait to read the next installment.

[Laura Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This emotionally charged read took my emotions on a massive and extended roller coaster ride from beginning to end. Well written story line with amazing characters and I for one am ready for the next ride.

{I received an eARC when I signed up for the book tour. I made no guarantee of a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are unbiased and my own.}

[Medeia Sharif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grape is new in town and her school is nothing like her old one. This one is ruled by mean, beautiful students. When a mysterious illness spreads among the gorgeous ones, the suspense intensifies. Grape and her friend Mandy are great characters, and the pretty, mean ones are also characters you can sink into. This is a unique and different YA book that I highly recommend.

[Natalie {I'd So Rather Be Reading} · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally found a YA series that had all #thefeels of a Goosebump mixed with the sleuthing heart of Nancy Drew!

Read review HERE

[Rekha · Rating 4 out of 5]

So... There's going to be a sequel.

Right????

[Christine Kempton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Voracious Readers for an honest review. This book started out with Grape Merriweather moving to Sortilege Falls and starting a new school. She sees a group of beyond beautiful teenagers and wonders how they can be so beautiful and why everyone caters to their every want and need. then they start getting sick. Meanwhile her nerdy little brother is investigating the near by woods and is becoming very secretive about his adventures. This was a fun introduction to this world and these characters. I was enjoying the story as it was and also wondered why this group of teens were blessed. The ending for me was unexpected and a very pleasant surprise. I look forward to reading more of this series and I hope Grape will be able to find what she is looking for.

[Evelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Welcome to Sortilege Falls is about Grape, who just moved to this town. For some reason there live a lot of beautiful humans, who are all models, in this town, and all the other inhabitants are obsessed over them. As soon as Grape moves into this town all these Models start to get sick.
And the reason why was so weird.
The beginning of the story really interested me, that was until the point were you learned why everyone was obsessed over the beautiful people. But then the book lost my interest, and started to get weird.
I think this is a nice kind of contemporary story with a twist, I just don´t enjoy those kind of books.
*Thanks to netgalley for providing this book*

[Gabrielle Messier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a bittersweet ending to it. The story has interesting plot points however how it ties altogether and the final pages were quite conflicting and abrupt. After finishing the book I was left with questions that did not allow me to enjoy the conclusion. I will not be reading the rest of the series although they might provide the answers needed to fill in the plot holes.

Note: I received an ARC for an unbiased and honest review.

[Riss · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I liked this book, but it just wasn't for me. The general idea was interesting, unfortunately, I just had way too many problems while reading this. I found all but maybe two (minor) characters completely unlikable. Even the protagonist was awful. The story didn't seem to make much sense, sometimes being outrageously random.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping and mysterious read. The world of Sortilege Falls sucked me in. Looking forward to more from author Libby Heily.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come

[Melissa McGuire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was painful to finish. I was confused most of the book. The characters were super shallow and obsessed with beauty. I skimmed through to the end of the book

[Christine Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review of it. The opinions and thoughts stated concerning this book are solely my own and no one else’s. ***

Welcome to Sortilege Falls by Libby Heily is a story about a girl named Grape Merriweather who has just moved to Sortilege Falls with her mom and her younger brother Brad. There is something strange about this town. Grape is starting school some place new and so she believes that her fellow students will be welcoming and nice and even helpful when needed. But what she finds instead is something else altogether. She’s completely and utterly ignored. Only when speaking to one of her fellow students does she remotely get an ounce of attention from them and even then they act as though they are being put out just to answer a single question asked. It makes her miss her old home even more. But Grape soon discovers why everyone is so…cold. She meets the Models outside in the parking lot by accident and quickly understands why everyone barely even acknowledges her. The Models are perfection…physically but their attitudes…leave much to be desired. One Model seems nicer than the others and seems to befriend Grape. But things start getting weird fast in Sortilege Falls, with the Models and even with Grape’s little brother, Brad.
This is an interesting book that combines moving to a new place and being the new girl angst with mystery and a touch of fantasy. Now I say a touch because until you get closer to the end you don’t really get a lot of the fantasy element that is lying just beneath the surface of this book. I really wanted a bit more but the writer keeps that aspect mostly on the fringes for the characters. Like they know something is going on but they just really dismiss it quickly and don’t care too much…or they just blow it off. But as you’re reading this you’ll pick up on it quickly and then question….”Why didn’t they see/notice/question?”
Me personally I had a few issues with Grape as a character. Sometimes she’d have a good personality but then other times she really needed a good shake. I guess on one hand one should find it refreshing that the author decided to give her a less than atypical healthy appetite for a teen especially for a girl but her practically being a bottomless pit? That for me was just a bit annoying about her. For me there’s a difference between hunger and just being plain greedy and Grape tended to fall into the “greedy” category for me and even edged into “taking advantage” category on her “date” with Graeson.
I’ll admit that since I managed to read this book and finish it in a couple of days that I did enjoy most of the aspects of it but I can’t say that I loved it. This book is easily categorized as YA and possibly even a bit as a YA Mystery but really classifying this as anything beyond that is a bit of a stretch until the very end of where it gets a touch of Fantasy to it. Because all in all there really isn’t that much of it in there at all so I struggle to really say this is a YA Mystery/Fantasy because it just falls short on the fantasy part for me. This book definitely has it’s elements that help separate it from others in the same category but I really wish there had been more Fantasy put into it so that it would have really gotten into the depths of the story and not just been tossed in at the end.
As much as I wanted to really like this book it falls a bit short for me in quite a few places. I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. I had higher expectations of this book and it just really failed to meet them this time. But I do hope to read more by this author in the future and see her improve her story telling talent because she does have that.

[Jeanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Welcome to Sortilege Falls"
By: Libby Heily

2 3/4 stars

The author's statement at the beginning of the book about being written "For all those who have ever been made to feel less than" gives you the flavor of this read. A "normal" in this case is someone who is NOT "georgeous, magnetic and rich". I assume the lesson in this book is to show that everyone has problems. That the grass is not always greener for those who seem to have it all. That definitely seems to be the case in the town of Sortilege falls.

The first few chapters had me looking forward to the play out in the life of Grape Merriweather (cool name but it sounded familiar to me?). Her mother, brother and she moved to Sortilege Falls after the death of her father. Hoping to fit in with other teens she finds making friends and being noticed is a lot harder than she thought it would be. And when she does make a friend she finds herself trying to solve the problem of a mysterious health issue that is claiming the lives of other teens in the community.

After the initial interest I thought there was a whole lot of time spent on the "beautiful" students and little time spent on getting to a recognizable point of the story. The last few chapters brought a little more clarity but for me it was too little too late. Trying to give no spoilers, I was a little depressed with the ending and thought the twist came out of left field.

This story didn't really need any magical theme to get the point across and in fact the "magical" parts seemed to muddy the waters. I was left with many questions such as: "What was with constant twisting of her ring?", "How did her brother obtain his ability to enter the 'tree'?", "What was the background and involvement with the "magic" of the parents of the 'models'"? The ending left me thinking this may become a series and perhaps some of the introductory background will be covered there.

This may be the author's first journey into the world of YA and urban fantasy so I will give her a little leeway because I thought her writing was well done. I just felt the story needed a little more development and redistribution of character emphasis.

Jeanie G

Giving this 2 3/4 "reeling" sheep.

[Sascha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The rating would be 2 1/2.

Welcome to Sortilege Falls by Libby Heily tells the tale of Grape (named after grape soda because her father was sucking them down during her birth), her mother (a doctor), and her younger brother, Brad (a plant fanatic) who move to a small town in Missouri from Virginia. To clue you in to what type of novel this is, sortilege means foretelling, magic, sorcery.

Grape starts her first day of school in this new town, somewhat cocky, certain that she'll find her classes (no need of a map, says she) and equally certain that she'll make friends, because she never had a problem before. Neither of those things works out for her.

And then she meets The Models. The teachers and the entire student body (and it turns out the entire town) worship the hallowed ground that The Models walk on. Even Grape sees how beautiful they are, but they're all really unpleasant, except for Mandy who befriends Grape.

Suddenly two of The Models who were born in Sortilege Falls but who have pursued acting and modeling careers outside of Missouri fall ill and then die. Then the models in Sortilege begin to fall ill. Grape suspects that something is afoot and decides to investigate.

The premise behind Welcome to Sortilege Falls is intriguing, however, the mystery seems solved just as you are really getting into it and the abrupt ending makes you think that there are more things to come. Also, some concepts/characters that were introduced were not thoroughly treated, which means that there is a sequel or there are loose ends.

There is not much in the way of characterization. Grape comes across as rather shallow as do most of the characters with the exception of Mandy, who shows a bit more depth.

This is touted as a Young Adult novel, but I think it falls more aptly into the Teen category, which is 14 and under. Regarded from that viewpoint, I think a younger audience would appreciate this novel more than I did.

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Welcome to Sortilege Falls will be published on May 31, 2016 by Fire and Ice YA Publishing.