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A review by jacquelinec
The Turning: What Curiosity Kills by Helen Ellis
2.0
Prior to receiving this ARC, I hadn't heard anything regarding this book or author Helen Ellis. I'm almost glad that I didn't have any preconceived notions toward it because I'm pretty sure that, if I had, they would have been blown away pretty quickly. My feelings about this book are mixed to say the least, but I'll do my best to to describe them for you.
I've read plenty of books about shapeshifters and weres. I was sure that there wasn't anything new to me in that field. Ellis showed me that I was poorly mistaken with her cat shifters. That's right, cats. Not the big leopard/lion/tiger-esque types. No, I mean the household variety. The way they are portrayed in the turning is as some potentially dangerous species. I'm still trying to parse whether or not I can take it seriously.
Regardless, the book is interesting. The main character Mary and her best friend/sister Octavia are unique characters in the YA genre. While they currently live a semi-privileged life in New York's Upper East Side, the both hail from disadvantaged backgrounds. Mary is from the south and still has a hint of her accent. After being neglected by her parents seven or eight years ago, she was adopted by her new family. Around the same time an African-American eight-year-old, Octavia, happened to lose her parents and be chosen by the same couple as Mary. The two sisters are the same age and incredibly close. It's interesting the strain that there relationship undergoes when the "turning" begins to overtake Mary. Octavia, who is deathly afraid of cats due to an incident in her past, struggles with a newfound fear and trepidation directed towards her sister. Despite this, it's clear that the two really love one another. It must be Mary's love for her sister that allows her to overlook Octavia's psuedo-ghetto attitude and slang. Being a middle-class black person myself, I understand the issue of wanting to embrace your "blackness" but I think that Octavia took it a step too far, almost into parody territory. I almost fell out of my chair when she used the phrase "wiggida, wiggida, whack" (yes, really). Even Mary thinks it's ridiculous...
To continue reading this review, visit my blog The Eclectic Book Lover.
I've read plenty of books about shapeshifters and weres. I was sure that there wasn't anything new to me in that field. Ellis showed me that I was poorly mistaken with her cat shifters. That's right, cats. Not the big leopard/lion/tiger-esque types. No, I mean the household variety. The way they are portrayed in the turning is as some potentially dangerous species. I'm still trying to parse whether or not I can take it seriously.
Regardless, the book is interesting. The main character Mary and her best friend/sister Octavia are unique characters in the YA genre. While they currently live a semi-privileged life in New York's Upper East Side, the both hail from disadvantaged backgrounds. Mary is from the south and still has a hint of her accent. After being neglected by her parents seven or eight years ago, she was adopted by her new family. Around the same time an African-American eight-year-old, Octavia, happened to lose her parents and be chosen by the same couple as Mary. The two sisters are the same age and incredibly close. It's interesting the strain that there relationship undergoes when the "turning" begins to overtake Mary. Octavia, who is deathly afraid of cats due to an incident in her past, struggles with a newfound fear and trepidation directed towards her sister. Despite this, it's clear that the two really love one another. It must be Mary's love for her sister that allows her to overlook Octavia's psuedo-ghetto attitude and slang. Being a middle-class black person myself, I understand the issue of wanting to embrace your "blackness" but I think that Octavia took it a step too far, almost into parody territory. I almost fell out of my chair when she used the phrase "wiggida, wiggida, whack" (yes, really). Even Mary thinks it's ridiculous...
To continue reading this review, visit my blog The Eclectic Book Lover.