Review - Broken by A E Rought

Broken by A E Rought

ISBN 9781908844309

Published by Strange Chemistry

Published 3rd January 2013

Four out of five stars ****

 

 

 

I genuinely really enjoyed this book! It grabbed my attention right from the moment that I heard about it, (which was when the blog was part of it's cover reveal a few months back). here's what goodreads has to say...

 

"Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.

A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry's boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog.

When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she's intrigued despite herself. He's an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely... familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel's.

The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there's something very wrong with Alex Franks. And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks' estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows."

 

 

Sounds good huh?! Again as usual I'll try not to give any spoilers away in this review, so here it goes...

 

 

I couldn't put this book down! It got under my skin and made me want to read it ALL the time!! It captures the intensity of teenage emotions brilliantly.

 

I loved Emma! She is both strong and vulnerable, and you feel yourself drawn in by her, and wanting to know more about her past and what has happened to her that has left her so broken. I loved that Rought hasn't shied away from the darker side with this book. It's scary being a teen, especially when you're put in the positions she is. That fear translates well through the words of this story to create something that almost anyone can relate to.

 

It's a well balanced book too. The darker side is nicely offset with sarcasm and laugh out load wit! There were more than a few times that I received strange looks on the bus for snorting out a chuckle or two at some of the exchanges between Emma and Josh!

 

Alex!! *swoon* Now there's a leading man! I defy anyone not to have a bit of a character crush on him! lol I love that Alex is just as, if not more messed up than Emma. It puts them on an even footing throughout the book. They 'get' each other. That taps into something that most teens, and more than a few adults, aspire to find in a relationship. It makes it a very enjoyable partnership to watch, and makes you root for them too.

 

As I was reading the book, the feel of it reminded me somewhat of Twilight. I know some of you will disagree with that or maybe even see it as a negative, I don't. But what I mean by that, is the levels of intensity are... well, intense! lol. I think because it's written from Emma's POV, that you get very caught up with what's happening between them and their relationship becomes almost addictive. You have to keep on reading to see what happens next. That's what I did, and I don't regret it at all! :)

 

 

The only criticism I have is that it ended to fast for me. That in itself isn't a bad thing, I'll just have to read it a bit slower next time! lol

 

 

Broken will be released through Strange Chemistry on 3rd Jan next year. I will be recommending it to customers who love a romance with a twist. So make sure you keep an eye out for it, I foresee big things for this author and I can't wait to see what else she comes up with!

 

 

See you next post,

 

Kaylie :0)