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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
I just can’t. Does this girl think about anything else than boys? And oh, how attractive they are?
The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden is a 2013 fortheARTofit publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book embodies the spirit of the old school Gothic novel told in first person perspective by Adele Le Moyne a high school student returning to New Orleans after the worst hurricane in history virtually destroyed the city, perhaps for good.
Alone with her father now, Adele is even separated from her BFF who has moved to LA, probably to stay for the duration. The New Orleans climate has now changed, some familiar faces remain, but relatives searching for loved ones creates a new landscape in the Dystopian atmosphere.
Adele finds she has now been accepted into one of New Orleans' most prestigious schools, but life there is miserable as the usual cliques form and Adele is the odd man out.
But, in the midst of this unease, Adele hears an old story, a legend by now, about the Casquette girls. Girls who were lured into a home by evil and after all was said and done, only two bodies were found. This coincides with some rather spooky experiences Adele had encountered recently, coupled with the discovery of a diary written by one of her ancestors.
This YA spin on old world myths, legends, and voodoo, is actually a pretty interesting take on both old and new legends and beliefs. The diary Adele unearths was written circa 1700's and tell the more traditional version of vampires we know from stories like Dracula or even Stephen King's Salem's Lot. But this story adds the roots of France, Creole, and the deep South to blend a new tale of horror.
Adele is a wonderful character, typical of her age, so she doesn't always make the right choice, she is ruled by her heart and at times her hormones, but she is in many ways an old soul. There are quite a few characters in the book, so between current day and the diary of the past, there were moments when it seemed hard to keep up with them all.
The author does a great job of writing both historical details and present day details due to her incredible knowledge of New Orleans.
For me the story got off to a slow start and it wasn't until about a quarter of the way in that the diary is discovered and it's author is found to be significant to Adele. Once we get started reading the diary, events in the present begin to really take shape as well, and the action intensifies.... really intensifies. There are many twist and turns and huge reveals once the story got rolling good.
The book is just a bit long and could use some trimming down just a hair here and there. But, overall this is a very ambitious undertaking and the author did a great job with this one. I don't read a lot of YA PNR, but this one was well worth the time. This one gets 4 stars
This book embodies the spirit of the old school Gothic novel told in first person perspective by Adele Le Moyne a high school student returning to New Orleans after the worst hurricane in history virtually destroyed the city, perhaps for good.
Alone with her father now, Adele is even separated from her BFF who has moved to LA, probably to stay for the duration. The New Orleans climate has now changed, some familiar faces remain, but relatives searching for loved ones creates a new landscape in the Dystopian atmosphere.
Adele finds she has now been accepted into one of New Orleans' most prestigious schools, but life there is miserable as the usual cliques form and Adele is the odd man out.
But, in the midst of this unease, Adele hears an old story, a legend by now, about the Casquette girls. Girls who were lured into a home by evil and after all was said and done, only two bodies were found. This coincides with some rather spooky experiences Adele had encountered recently, coupled with the discovery of a diary written by one of her ancestors.
This YA spin on old world myths, legends, and voodoo, is actually a pretty interesting take on both old and new legends and beliefs. The diary Adele unearths was written circa 1700's and tell the more traditional version of vampires we know from stories like Dracula or even Stephen King's Salem's Lot. But this story adds the roots of France, Creole, and the deep South to blend a new tale of horror.
Adele is a wonderful character, typical of her age, so she doesn't always make the right choice, she is ruled by her heart and at times her hormones, but she is in many ways an old soul. There are quite a few characters in the book, so between current day and the diary of the past, there were moments when it seemed hard to keep up with them all.
The author does a great job of writing both historical details and present day details due to her incredible knowledge of New Orleans.
For me the story got off to a slow start and it wasn't until about a quarter of the way in that the diary is discovered and it's author is found to be significant to Adele. Once we get started reading the diary, events in the present begin to really take shape as well, and the action intensifies.... really intensifies. There are many twist and turns and huge reveals once the story got rolling good.
The book is just a bit long and could use some trimming down just a hair here and there. But, overall this is a very ambitious undertaking and the author did a great job with this one. I don't read a lot of YA PNR, but this one was well worth the time. This one gets 4 stars
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
***ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
4.5
one of the few books that actually kept me second guessing all the characters. and I do mean all. left in a decent hang over that covered the events of the book but laid the groundwork for a sequel. only real complaint is the love square: Emile, Adele, Niccolo, and Isaac. as if triangles weren't bad enough...
4.5
one of the few books that actually kept me second guessing all the characters. and I do mean all. left in a decent hang over that covered the events of the book but laid the groundwork for a sequel. only real complaint is the love square: Emile, Adele, Niccolo, and Isaac. as if triangles weren't bad enough...
Yes yes yes THIS FLOWED TOGETHER SO GOOD IT WAS LIKE A TV SHOW. Every character was so realized yess
First of all, I want to say that "I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review." BUT I will also say that this is my second time reading The Casquette Girls. I received the edited version for my second read, but I read it for the first time a year and a half ago after paying for it with my own money. I loved it so much, I wanted to read it again & see what had been changed :]
The Casquette Girls is Alys Arden's ode to New Orleans. It's also a paranormal romance. Let me tell you now: there is a love triangle here and it very possibly isn't neatly tied up by the end of this first book. There aren't any cliff-hangers per se, but you'll probably want to read the sequels to find out what happens next (I know that I will be!)
The story is that 16-year-old Adele Le Moyne finally returns to her beloved hometown, New Orleans, after having been evacuated 3 months ago because of the "big storm" (note: the storm in question isn't actually Hurricane Katrina - it's a fictional storm that is very Katrina-esque, but from all the technology references it's clear that this story is set in the 2010s, not 2005). Adele has spent the 3 months at a Parisian boarding school and is ready to get back to her life & father in New Orleans. The problem is that the storm has devastated the city. As Adele adjusts to her new life, she becomes mixed up in a centuries old family feud involving vampires and the descendents of witches who originally fought these vampires.
I have to say that I absolutely loved this book on the first reading. I still loved it on the second reading, but I'll admit that it did grow a bit tedious (apparently this revised version clocks in at around 600 pages!?) During this second read I was hoping to be able to spot the changes made, but I have to say that I was unable to do so! After finishing I did a cross-comparison of the last chapter of each edition and noticed a number of changes actually, but while reading they weren't noticeable. I think a couple of diary entries were added and some more explanations (like the Saint Germains being from Adele's father's side of the family, and not her mother's), but largely the plot was the same. If you read the older version of The Casquette Girls, you probably don't need to read the revised version, but it's up to you. I'm certainly not sorry for doing a rereading - it turns out I forgot a lot of what I read the first time!
As for what I didn't like in this book - I can't say I was a huge fan of the love triangle or the fact that it involved a supernatural being. But that's really my personal preference. The funny thing is that I felt sure the triangle was resolved by the end of the book on my first reading, but on my second I realized it was faaaaaaaar from a resolution.
To sum up, if you love YA or New Orleans or vampires, you should read The Casquette Girls! Even if you're not big into paranormal YAs, give it a chance! It's engaging and well-written. 5/5 stars
The Casquette Girls is Alys Arden's ode to New Orleans. It's also a paranormal romance. Let me tell you now: there is a love triangle here and it very possibly isn't neatly tied up by the end of this first book. There aren't any cliff-hangers per se, but you'll probably want to read the sequels to find out what happens next (I know that I will be!)
The story is that 16-year-old Adele Le Moyne finally returns to her beloved hometown, New Orleans, after having been evacuated 3 months ago because of the "big storm" (note: the storm in question isn't actually Hurricane Katrina - it's a fictional storm that is very Katrina-esque, but from all the technology references it's clear that this story is set in the 2010s, not 2005). Adele has spent the 3 months at a Parisian boarding school and is ready to get back to her life & father in New Orleans. The problem is that the storm has devastated the city. As Adele adjusts to her new life, she becomes mixed up in a centuries old family feud involving vampires and the descendents of witches who originally fought these vampires.
I have to say that I absolutely loved this book on the first reading. I still loved it on the second reading, but I'll admit that it did grow a bit tedious (apparently this revised version clocks in at around 600 pages!?) During this second read I was hoping to be able to spot the changes made, but I have to say that I was unable to do so! After finishing I did a cross-comparison of the last chapter of each edition and noticed a number of changes actually, but while reading they weren't noticeable. I think a couple of diary entries were added and some more explanations (like the Saint Germains being from Adele's father's side of the family, and not her mother's), but largely the plot was the same. If you read the older version of The Casquette Girls, you probably don't need to read the revised version, but it's up to you. I'm certainly not sorry for doing a rereading - it turns out I forgot a lot of what I read the first time!
As for what I didn't like in this book - I can't say I was a huge fan of the love triangle or the fact that it involved a supernatural being. But that's really my personal preference. The funny thing is that I felt sure the triangle was resolved by the end of the book on my first reading, but on my second I realized it was faaaaaaaar from a resolution.
To sum up, if you love YA or New Orleans or vampires, you should read The Casquette Girls! Even if you're not big into paranormal YAs, give it a chance! It's engaging and well-written. 5/5 stars