Rating: 4/5
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing | January 4th, 2011 | Hardcover
Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, best confidantes, and best accomplices. The daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that's just the way they like it. But in Portero, where the weird and wild run rampant, the Cordelle sisters are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around. It's no surprise when Kit and Fancy start to give in to their deepest desire-the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren't killing just anyone, only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father, and know that a shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a mysterious and invisible doorway to another world, she opens a door to endless possibilities….
*********
Slice of Cherry was definitely something different from anything I've read prior –– ever. Dia Reeves creates a world that is completely bizarre and psychotic, yet at the same time so compelling that you find yourself along for the ride in the Cordelle sisters crazy journey. Kit and Fancy find themselves having to deal with a murderer for a father who is on death row and his blood running through their veins. They are drawn to pain and violence, only finding solace in the dissection of animals, to the cutting of humans, and eventually the act of murder to quench their thirst for blood.
I was not exactly sure what to expect when I first began reading Reeves story. It was peculiar, out of the ordinary, and deadly –– literally. To be honest, it took me quite a while to get into the actual story. Kit grew on me and about mid way through the novel her character truly began to grow into a likable and sympathetic older sister, simply trying to deal with who she is and be accepted by society at the same time. Fancy however drove me completely insane! It was not until roughly the last quarter of the novel that I began to like her. When things stop going Fancy's way, she ends up hurting her sister. Needless to say, I'm still not exactly a Fancy fan.
The two gentlemen in the novel –– the Turner brothers –– are well written, rounded, interesting characters who grab your attention from the moment they are introduced. I really enjoyed their parts in the novel. Both boys help the sisters come to terms with who they are and accept that they are still girls who can find love regardless of their fathers past discretion's and their own deeply disturbed need for blood.
The entire world of Portero is strange. The sisters are surrounded by monsters, magic, and portals that lead to "other" worlds. There were some parts in the novel where I found myself having a head scratching moment. Not because the writing was not superb, but because I felt I missed something in Reeves creation of this world. A definite re-reading of the novel could easily rectify that and I'll definitely be picking up Reeves debut novel Bleeding Violet in hopes of possibly understanding Portero a bit better.
Reeves characterization of each character and the world they live in was so well done that it felt real. You can almost see each murderous act the girls commit. There were cringe worthy moments, moments of bewilderment, and times when you felt sympathy for Kit and Fancy. If you are a fan of Dexter then Slice of Cherry is a novel for you. Think Dexter meets small town Texas with two teenage girls righting the wrongs in society via torture and murder. This novel is not for the faint at heart. If you are not a fan of gore or blood then perhaps this isn't the book for you. However, Dia Reeves creates a world that you can't help but get stuck in. Her writing allows for you to be transported into a world unlike our own, or perhaps scarily so very much like our own.
The ending was extraordinarily well done and wrapped the premise and plot of the novel up nicely. Just remember, in a world where weird things happen and bad people tend to thrive, there is always love and the prospect of good to carry us through the days.
Slice of Cherry is in stores today. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is not afraid to try new things and enter into a world so uniquely painted, you are lost in its very pages.
P.S. there is a lovely shout out to an awesome book Blogger Jeremy West at the back of the book!
*A special thanks to Michelle from Simon and Schuster Canada for this ARC :)
I was not exactly sure what to expect when I first began reading Reeves story. It was peculiar, out of the ordinary, and deadly –– literally. To be honest, it took me quite a while to get into the actual story. Kit grew on me and about mid way through the novel her character truly began to grow into a likable and sympathetic older sister, simply trying to deal with who she is and be accepted by society at the same time. Fancy however drove me completely insane! It was not until roughly the last quarter of the novel that I began to like her. When things stop going Fancy's way, she ends up hurting her sister. Needless to say, I'm still not exactly a Fancy fan.
The two gentlemen in the novel –– the Turner brothers –– are well written, rounded, interesting characters who grab your attention from the moment they are introduced. I really enjoyed their parts in the novel. Both boys help the sisters come to terms with who they are and accept that they are still girls who can find love regardless of their fathers past discretion's and their own deeply disturbed need for blood.
The entire world of Portero is strange. The sisters are surrounded by monsters, magic, and portals that lead to "other" worlds. There were some parts in the novel where I found myself having a head scratching moment. Not because the writing was not superb, but because I felt I missed something in Reeves creation of this world. A definite re-reading of the novel could easily rectify that and I'll definitely be picking up Reeves debut novel Bleeding Violet in hopes of possibly understanding Portero a bit better.
Reeves characterization of each character and the world they live in was so well done that it felt real. You can almost see each murderous act the girls commit. There were cringe worthy moments, moments of bewilderment, and times when you felt sympathy for Kit and Fancy. If you are a fan of Dexter then Slice of Cherry is a novel for you. Think Dexter meets small town Texas with two teenage girls righting the wrongs in society via torture and murder. This novel is not for the faint at heart. If you are not a fan of gore or blood then perhaps this isn't the book for you. However, Dia Reeves creates a world that you can't help but get stuck in. Her writing allows for you to be transported into a world unlike our own, or perhaps scarily so very much like our own.
The ending was extraordinarily well done and wrapped the premise and plot of the novel up nicely. Just remember, in a world where weird things happen and bad people tend to thrive, there is always love and the prospect of good to carry us through the days.
Slice of Cherry is in stores today. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is not afraid to try new things and enter into a world so uniquely painted, you are lost in its very pages.
P.S. there is a lovely shout out to an awesome book Blogger Jeremy West at the back of the book!
*A special thanks to Michelle from Simon and Schuster Canada for this ARC :)
-Ashley
Thanks for the review. I'm interested in reading this because I am a fan of Dexter and I think this would be right up my alley. I think I could handle the gore and blood you mention.
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