Secondhand Charm
Author: Julie Berry
Series: ---
Publisher: Bloomsbury
How Received: ARC from BEA
Comes Out October 12 2010
In a secluded village, magic sparkles on the edges of the forest. There, a young girl named Evie possesses unusually strong powers as a healer. A gypsy's charms — no more than trinkets when worn by others — are remarkably potent when Evie ties them around her neck. Her talents, and charms, have not escaped the notice of the shy stonemason's son. But Evie wants more than a quiet village and the boy next-door. When the prince's carriage arrives one day, and his footman has fallen ill, Evie might just get her chance after all...
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Before I launch into my opinions on the book, I hate this summary.
A) It leaves out one MASSIVE plot point - the fact that Evie's a serpentina and has a leviathan to whom she is attached. (And no, that's not a spoiler, not really - you learn it within the first third of the book. The rest of the story is focused on that.)
B) It's a king's carriage, not a prince's.
C) It's not a footman, it's his tax collector.
So the story I got wasn't the story I was expecting - and you know what? I didn't mind all that much.
I will admit that the novel is very, very fast paced - events and knowledge are thrown at you, and the book moves on without really giving you time to digest that. Because that, some relationships are hard to believe. Annalise, the future queen, is treating Evie like a sister, and they're supposed to have this immediate connection, which I never felt, even at the end.
There were some plot twists I didn't expect, and not all of them were good, but I'm not going to post any spoilers. The one on her Grandfather was interesting, but weird, and the romantic one involving Annalise I didn't expect at all and, though interesting, I didn't really like.
I LOVED Clair - the leviathan attached to Evie. That was a character I believed. He was dedicated, adorable, and charming. As for Aidan, I liked his character. He's the kind of guy I love to read about. I wish they had expanded more on his relationship with Evie, but it was one of the relationships in the story that I actually believed. They were in only a few scenes, but I felt their connection.
And yes, this review is WAY in advance of when it actually comes out. But I post as I read, unless otherwise asked.
Overall Rating & Final Comments: 8/10. Yes, it was fast paced. Yes, it was slightly odd and not what I was expecting. But I really enjoyed it and didn't want to put it down.
Cover Comments: That's a picture I took of the ARC cover - it even says the jacket isn't final. But I really like it! I think it does the book justice. Plus, it's pretty.