Take a photo of a barcode or cover
iilex 's review for:
The Casquette Girls
by Alys Arden
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