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madiganinwonderland's review
DNF
Yeah...I've had this on my shelf for a fucking decade and I can't anymore. I tried it. And I totally saw it's potential but um... It definitely doesn't go in the direction I expected. Like... explain to me why this story would need a fairy element? Like it seemed like the author couldn't pick a story and just combined them... However, I did NOT finish this book, nor get very fair, so I may be mistaken. For that reason I'm not giving it a rating. I just can't do it. Unfortunate, I saw that potential.
Yeah...I've had this on my shelf for a fucking decade and I can't anymore. I tried it. And I totally saw it's potential but um... It definitely doesn't go in the direction I expected. Like... explain to me why this story would need a fairy element? Like it seemed like the author couldn't pick a story and just combined them... However, I did NOT finish this book, nor get very fair, so I may be mistaken. For that reason I'm not giving it a rating. I just can't do it. Unfortunate, I saw that potential.
pineconebiscuit's review
3.0
This story is all kinds of messed up but that's what made it interesting to read! Kit and Fancy were definitely weird, but they went on a journey that most normal siblings go through. I liked the supernatural elements of the story and how it was just the norm for everyone. Definitely something different to read.
manic_bibliophile's review
1.0
This read like a very rough draft of an idea that could have been really great if it’d been thought out and explained rather than a whole bunch of ideas thrown down on paper with an incredibly thick line attaching them together. Not for me.
gabalodon's review
3.0
Waffled a lot on how to rate this. A lot of my takeaways could be interpreted as positive or negative, depending on personality or mood. Very well-written, fast-paced, imaginative, and brutally vengeful, which are all pros in my book. More horror than I usually choose to read but the book's summary is very clear about the journey for which you're signing up (except for one major twist that could use a big fat trigger warning). This book is violent and extremely visceral in that violence - it holds nothing back, which was sometimes good and different, but also sometimes distracting. There was a lot of familial tension and unhappiness and lack of communication. It was hard to know who you want to root for or what you wanted to happen. My moral compass spun a lot. The magical town seemed to have no rules to its magic, which was sometimes charming and sometimes disorienting. Some of the things Fancy's love interest said while trying to flirt with her made me feel very uncomfortable (it often felt objectifying and involved a lot of body policing, even though I know the latter was a vehicle for one of the (many) facets of character growth Fancy is undergoing).
TL;DR: If the book's summary intrigues you and explicit violence and horror don't make you squeamish, it's worth a quick read, if only because of how imaginative and different it is.
TL;DR: If the book's summary intrigues you and explicit violence and horror don't make you squeamish, it's worth a quick read, if only because of how imaginative and different it is.
stephxsu's review
4.0
Dia Reeves is like a bucket of cold water on YA lit’s face…and I mean that in the best way. Her debut novel, Bleeding Violet, turned paranormal inside out and made it fascinating, in a sexy and gruesome sort of way. Her sophomore novel, SLICE OF CHERRY, is like a twisted childhood fantasy come true. Which is to say that I LOVED it.
As she did in Bleeding Violet, Dia kind of simply throws readers to the wolves and makes you fight to understand and be sympathetic to what’s going on in the story. In a world where some YA writers seem to “baby” their readers, this is a refreshing challenge. Things are not outright explained to us, but rather allowed to unfold gradually over the course of the book’s many pages. SLICE OF CHERRY focuses greatly on the horrors of the human psyche. I mean, Portero is weird enough on its own, but Kit and Fancy’s sociopathic behavior could technically happen in any normal American town, which is the truly creepy part of this novel.
The characters in SLICE OF CHERRY are fantastically messed up, definitely out there in a caricature-like but still completely understandable way. Little time is wasted on backstory, on explanations of what made the girls the way they are. Instead, they—especially Fancy—believe so thoroughly in their oddness that they leave us no room to question how they came to be that way…and that was totally fine with me. We don’t need complicated psychiatric explanations because they are so fully realized, their bizarreness so beyond our comprehension of typical human behavior that they successfully straddle the line between the real and the macabre.
SLICE OF CHERRY is in a genre all its own. If Bleeding Violet didn’t convince me that Dia is a genius, then this book most definitely did. This book will appeal to anyone who has even a pinch of darkness to them, who ever felt like they were weird and enjoyed things that no one else seems to.
As she did in Bleeding Violet, Dia kind of simply throws readers to the wolves and makes you fight to understand and be sympathetic to what’s going on in the story. In a world where some YA writers seem to “baby” their readers, this is a refreshing challenge. Things are not outright explained to us, but rather allowed to unfold gradually over the course of the book’s many pages. SLICE OF CHERRY focuses greatly on the horrors of the human psyche. I mean, Portero is weird enough on its own, but Kit and Fancy’s sociopathic behavior could technically happen in any normal American town, which is the truly creepy part of this novel.
The characters in SLICE OF CHERRY are fantastically messed up, definitely out there in a caricature-like but still completely understandable way. Little time is wasted on backstory, on explanations of what made the girls the way they are. Instead, they—especially Fancy—believe so thoroughly in their oddness that they leave us no room to question how they came to be that way…and that was totally fine with me. We don’t need complicated psychiatric explanations because they are so fully realized, their bizarreness so beyond our comprehension of typical human behavior that they successfully straddle the line between the real and the macabre.
SLICE OF CHERRY is in a genre all its own. If Bleeding Violet didn’t convince me that Dia is a genius, then this book most definitely did. This book will appeal to anyone who has even a pinch of darkness to them, who ever felt like they were weird and enjoyed things that no one else seems to.
car_theauthor's review
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
rinnie_san's review
3.0
The characters were quite interesting to follow. I really liked how much they grew throughout the story. I wish we had more of an independence arc for Fancy; I wish we would have seen her accepting that she can't be with Kit all the time. It was there somehow, but it wasn't that explicit.
I'm so glad that romance did not change Fancy. I'm slightly disappointed by the fact it changed Kit. I don't know how to explain it, I just feel like Gabe really changed her too much.
Gabe and Ilan's past was quite well done. If I read it again, maybe I would be able to catch a bit more hints about where it is going. It did feel a but like a last minute idea, but it might be the author's style. I didn't enjoy that, but maybe some people do. What I mean is that it felt a little bit out of place, I would have preferred if Gabe was really a monster or Portero and his father was trying to assault him and he killed him then. The whole Ilan plot felt slightly clumsy.
The reason why I gave it three stars instead of two is because of the author's writing style. She made a lot of reference to different influences and I found it quite interesting how they mixed all together. I saw surrealism in the way dreams and the inner-headspace was used. It showed how intricate human beings can be and the way our dreams sometimes reflect our personality. At page 316, there is a conversation between Kit and Fancy where they talk about Fancy's dream and I really found Fancy's idea of her dreams reflected the surrealist ideologies. I think it is lightly inspired by symbolism. The way Reeves showed even the darkest side of the mind is highly inspired by what a lot of symbolist authors did. The Happy Place was, in my opinion, like an allegory for the whole duality of the mind.
I'm so glad that romance did not change Fancy. I'm slightly disappointed by the fact it changed Kit. I don't know how to explain it, I just feel like Gabe really changed her too much.
Gabe and Ilan's past was quite well done. If I read it again, maybe I would be able to catch a bit more hints about where it is going. It did feel a but like a last minute idea, but it might be the author's style. I didn't enjoy that, but maybe some people do. What I mean is that it felt a little bit out of place, I would have preferred if Gabe was really a monster or Portero and his father was trying to assault him and he killed him then. The whole Ilan plot felt slightly clumsy.
The reason why I gave it three stars instead of two is because of the author's writing style. She made a lot of reference to different influences and I found it quite interesting how they mixed all together. I saw surrealism in the way dreams and the inner-headspace was used. It showed how intricate human beings can be and the way our dreams sometimes reflect our personality. At page 316, there is a conversation between Kit and Fancy where they talk about Fancy's dream and I really found Fancy's idea of her dreams reflected the surrealist ideologies. I think it is lightly inspired by symbolism. The way Reeves showed even the darkest side of the mind is highly inspired by what a lot of symbolist authors did. The Happy Place was, in my opinion, like an allegory for the whole duality of the mind.
zetareadsbooks's review
dark
emotional
funny
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
missbookiverse's review
4.0
Wie schon der erste Roman der Autorin ([b:Bleeding Violet|6364657|Bleeding Violet |Dia Reeves|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/413SbGwy1pL._SL75_.jpg|6551896]) lässt sich auch Slice of Cherry mit dem Wort „verrückt“ perfekt beschreiben. Gern auch „absurd“ oder „abgedreht“. Slice of Cherry führt Bleeding Violet in bester Alice im Düsterwunderland Manier fort, kippt aber noch einige Liter Blut in die Mischung.
Am Anfang hat mich das ganze Blutvergießen etwas abgeschreckt. Ich wusste ja, was ich von Dia Reeves erwarten kann, aber viele Szenen sind wirklich krankhaft und gewaltverherrlichend. Die beiden dafür verantwortlichen Schwestern sind Psychopathen, die ihrem Morddrang nur zu gern nachgeben. Je tiefer ich in dieses Teepartyuniversum eingetaucht bin, desto leichter habe ich mich erschreckenderweise daran gewöhnt. Es gibt einfach so viel zu entdecken. Die Schwestern Kit und Fancy durchleben eine komplizierte Zeit. Sie waren immer füreinander da, haben sich gefühlt wie dieselbe Person, aber plötzlich werden sie erwachsen und Kit möchte auch mal etwas ohne ihre Schwester unternehmen, ihre eigenen Gefühle entwickeln. Fancy muss lernen damit klarzukommen und versucht gleichzeitig zu akzeptieren, dass sie nicht für immer ein Kind sein kann. Zu gern trägt sie Kleider aus der Kinderabteilung, um ihren immer weiblicher werdenden Körper zu verstecken. Dabei merkt sie nicht wie lächerlich sie aussieht.
Diese Konflikte und Entwicklungen haben die Geschichte erst richtig interessant gemacht. Überall gibt es Monster, Schlüssel, eine geheime Fantasiewelt und cartoonartige Morde, aber im Kern der Geschichte stecken zwei Mädchen, die mit dem Erwachsenwerden und ihrer Beziehung zueinander kämpfen.
Von der Handlung will ich nicht viel verraten. Auf Slice of Cherry muss man sich einlassen können. Es gibt eine Geschichte, die erzählt wird, aber in Dia Reeves selbst erschaffenem Universum existieren keine Grenzen, nichts ist unmöglich. Viele mögen das als inkonsequent bezeichnen, mir hat es unheimlich viel Spaß gemacht, nie zu wissen, was als nächstes passieren kann. Mich hat keine der 500 Seiten gelangweilt und am Ende löst sich alles wunderbar auf und macht irgendwie Sinn.
Wer nach Bleeding Violet mehr will, wird hier bestens bedient und sogar mit einem kleinen Wiedersehen mit Hanna und Wyatt belohnt.
Am Anfang hat mich das ganze Blutvergießen etwas abgeschreckt. Ich wusste ja, was ich von Dia Reeves erwarten kann, aber viele Szenen sind wirklich krankhaft und gewaltverherrlichend. Die beiden dafür verantwortlichen Schwestern sind Psychopathen, die ihrem Morddrang nur zu gern nachgeben. Je tiefer ich in dieses Teepartyuniversum eingetaucht bin, desto leichter habe ich mich erschreckenderweise daran gewöhnt. Es gibt einfach so viel zu entdecken. Die Schwestern Kit und Fancy durchleben eine komplizierte Zeit. Sie waren immer füreinander da, haben sich gefühlt wie dieselbe Person, aber plötzlich werden sie erwachsen und Kit möchte auch mal etwas ohne ihre Schwester unternehmen, ihre eigenen Gefühle entwickeln. Fancy muss lernen damit klarzukommen und versucht gleichzeitig zu akzeptieren, dass sie nicht für immer ein Kind sein kann. Zu gern trägt sie Kleider aus der Kinderabteilung, um ihren immer weiblicher werdenden Körper zu verstecken. Dabei merkt sie nicht wie lächerlich sie aussieht.
Diese Konflikte und Entwicklungen haben die Geschichte erst richtig interessant gemacht. Überall gibt es Monster, Schlüssel, eine geheime Fantasiewelt und cartoonartige Morde, aber im Kern der Geschichte stecken zwei Mädchen, die mit dem Erwachsenwerden und ihrer Beziehung zueinander kämpfen.
Von der Handlung will ich nicht viel verraten. Auf Slice of Cherry muss man sich einlassen können. Es gibt eine Geschichte, die erzählt wird, aber in Dia Reeves selbst erschaffenem Universum existieren keine Grenzen, nichts ist unmöglich. Viele mögen das als inkonsequent bezeichnen, mir hat es unheimlich viel Spaß gemacht, nie zu wissen, was als nächstes passieren kann. Mich hat keine der 500 Seiten gelangweilt und am Ende löst sich alles wunderbar auf und macht irgendwie Sinn.
Wer nach Bleeding Violet mehr will, wird hier bestens bedient und sogar mit einem kleinen Wiedersehen mit Hanna und Wyatt belohnt.
angelicide's review
3.0
I absolutely loved this author's first novel, Bleeding Violet--I gave it 5 stars. I was very excited to read her second book, but unfortunately, I found it a little disappointing.
First, the good points. It was well written with vivid descriptions and interesting characters. The town of Portero, full of wondrous horrors and terrible miracles, is always a pleasure to visit. The dark tone is well complemented by the air of whimsy woven through the narrative.
All this kept me reading, despite the fact that I found it very difficult to sympathize with either of the protagonists. Sisters, Kit and Fancy Cordelle, are two young psychopaths with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, at least in the beginning. The novel is very much a twisted coming-of-age story, and both characters do learn and grow, eventually developing into more sympathetic characters. For me, though, it was too little too late.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy rooting for the bad guy now and then. Characters like Dexter Morgan and Johannes Cabal are two examples that come to mind, but despite their sociopathic tendencies, both are driven by an internally consistent morality that when closely examined, can be considered honorable and selfless. In the case of the Cordelle sisters, all I saw for much of the story was complete selfishness and total disregard for anyone outside their tight family unit.
*** The next section contains a slight spoiler about something that happens about a third of the way in. Nothing major, but if you want a clean read, skip to the next set of asterisks. ***
I also found it a bit difficult to swallow the wildly ludicrous events that occur in the "Happy Place." Without giving too much away, Fancy eventually finds a way to open a door into another reality where she is essentially God. She and Kit can literally do anything they want, not just to the Happy Place world, but to any other person unlucky enough to travel with them.
I am willing to suspend my disbelief quite a bit for urban fantasy novels, but I still feel like there should be consistent boundaries governing what types of supernatural events can occur. After reading Bleeding Violet, I thought I had a pretty good handle on what to expect from Portero. In my opinion, the Happy Place stretched those boundaries too far without adequate explanation. More than once, I found myself shaking my head and saying, "Really?"
*** spoiler over ***
Overall, I liked this book, I just thought it suffered from a couple of major problems. I am anxiously awaiting the next novel by Dia Reeves.
First, the good points. It was well written with vivid descriptions and interesting characters. The town of Portero, full of wondrous horrors and terrible miracles, is always a pleasure to visit. The dark tone is well complemented by the air of whimsy woven through the narrative.
All this kept me reading, despite the fact that I found it very difficult to sympathize with either of the protagonists. Sisters, Kit and Fancy Cordelle, are two young psychopaths with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, at least in the beginning. The novel is very much a twisted coming-of-age story, and both characters do learn and grow, eventually developing into more sympathetic characters. For me, though, it was too little too late.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy rooting for the bad guy now and then. Characters like Dexter Morgan and Johannes Cabal are two examples that come to mind, but despite their sociopathic tendencies, both are driven by an internally consistent morality that when closely examined, can be considered honorable and selfless. In the case of the Cordelle sisters, all I saw for much of the story was complete selfishness and total disregard for anyone outside their tight family unit.
*** The next section contains a slight spoiler about something that happens about a third of the way in. Nothing major, but if you want a clean read, skip to the next set of asterisks. ***
I also found it a bit difficult to swallow the wildly ludicrous events that occur in the "Happy Place." Without giving too much away, Fancy eventually finds a way to open a door into another reality where she is essentially God. She and Kit can literally do anything they want, not just to the Happy Place world, but to any other person unlucky enough to travel with them.
I am willing to suspend my disbelief quite a bit for urban fantasy novels, but I still feel like there should be consistent boundaries governing what types of supernatural events can occur. After reading Bleeding Violet, I thought I had a pretty good handle on what to expect from Portero. In my opinion, the Happy Place stretched those boundaries too far without adequate explanation. More than once, I found myself shaking my head and saying, "Really?"
*** spoiler over ***
Overall, I liked this book, I just thought it suffered from a couple of major problems. I am anxiously awaiting the next novel by Dia Reeves.