Wow!
I’ve often mentioned that I love when a book takes me by surprise and that’s exactly what Megan Tayte’s Death Wish did.
I’d like to thank Megan Tayte for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for a review. Considering it’s my birthday on Sunday and the fact that I just finished the first book in the Ceruleans series, (is it a series? It better be!) I’m going to pretend that Death Wish was an early birthday present because boy, was it phenomenal.
Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Blake is haunted by death.
Her estranged sister has made the ultimate dramatic exit. Running away from school, joining a surfing fraternity, partying hard: that sounds like Sienna. But suicide? It makes no sense.
Following in her sister’s footsteps, Scarlett comes to the isolated cove of Twycombe, Devon, with grand plans to uncover the truth. Alone. But she hasn’t reckoned on meeting two boys who are determined to help her.
Luke: the blue-eyed surfer who’ll see the real Scarlett, who’ll challenge her, who’ll save her. And Jude: the elusive drifter with a knack for turning up whenever Scarlett’s in need.
As Scarlett’s quest for the truth unravels, so too does her grip on reality as she’s always known it. Because there’s something strange going on in this little cove.
A dead magpie circles the skies. A dead deer watches from the undergrowth. Hands glow with light. Warmth. Power. What transpires is a summer of discovery. Of what it means to conquer fear. To fall in love. To choose life. To choose death.
To believe the impossible.
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REVIEW
First of all, you’ll be glad to know that there is no love triangle in this book! It was one of my early worries when I started reading this book and Jude began popping up that he would end up ruining the blossoming love between Scarlett and Luke. Fortunately, he didn’t.
I’ll try not ruin too much about the mystery surrounding Jude’s character, despite the fact that I just finished this novel and I’m so in awe of it that I just want to babble about it all day long, but he does give Scarlett an ultimatum. Life or death. Literally.
Secondly, if you can’t tell by the excitement that I think my words are radiating, I absolutely loved this book to the moon and back. Admittedly, it took me a few chapters to get into it but after awhile I was hooked. I think the budding relationship between Luke and Scarlett definitely sold the deal for me. I adored the banter they shared and I think it’s a success when a fictional couple can do something cheesy – making out to Ed Sheeran’s Kiss Me – and it makes me not want to vomit. Seriously, everything these two did together had me swooning and sighing. Ah, young love.
If Luke Cavendish didn’t have me fainting in adoration, I was crying a river.
Death Wish was actually really emotional. While I know the act of dying features in a lot of TV shows and books, it’s often desensitised. Especially when the hero is killing the bad guy and his army, it’s often overlooked. Yes, Death Wish has a supernatural edge, but for me, it definitely honed in on the harsh reality of losing a loved one. One example of that was Scarlett’s mother. The part when Scarlett finds her mother drunk on the floor of her late sister’s bedroom and her mother tells Scarlett that she’s “all she has is” so very real. In addition to this, Luke discussing the incident that happened to his parents and talking about how he blamed himself was so raw and incredibly heartbreaking.
Amidst the witty and sometimes humorous dialogue, there are definitely more emotional parts. I think that Megan Tayte balanced the two really well.
Oddly enough, while not having supernatural powers myself, I could relate to Scarlett. Mostly due to her love for History and watching period dramas with hot actors. We’re practically the same person when it comes to that. My The Tudors boxset is up there with my most prized possessions.
It’s usually the case that I go into books not knowing what to expect and more often that not I’m pleasantly surprised. However, Death Wish took that to a whole new level. To a part where I couldn’t psychically put the book down. I just had to know more.
There were so many shocking twists and turns that I didn’t know what to expect. Who is Jude? Why don’t I trust him? (I mean, if the Mara Dyer trilogy taught me anything it’s not to trust boys named Jude). The revelation in the end is one I did not see coming!
It was exciting, fresh and intense. Also, I may or may not want a Luke Cavendish of my own. Thank you to Megan Tayte for letting me read her book in exchange for a review. I thoroughly enjoyed it and every fibre of my being wants to read more!
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