Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: Swoon by Nina Malkin
First line: Love at first sight must be glorious.
Initial thoughts: I’m intrigued. One of the back cover blurbs mentioned that those who enjoyed Twilight are sure to enjoy this and, though I saw its faults, I did enjoy the series. Plus the story seems original. After reading the first few chapters, I’m even more curious to see how it progresses.
Book description:
Swoon, Connecticut, stands proudly on its heritage and the good behavior of its Lilly Pulitzer–clad inhabitants, so semi-psychic New York transplant Candice (Dice) sticks out like a sore thumb. On the autumnal equinox, Dice’s sweet and gentle cousin Penelope suddenly changes into a dangerous vixen, and only Dice is able to see that she has been possessed. Dice knows she must exorcise Sinclair, the ghost of a handsome young man from the colonial era, but she has fallen deeply in love with the appropriately nicknamed Sin. Finally, Dice follows Sin’s directions for an exorcism, which frees Penelope from his hold and releases Sin into his own physical form. The golem-like Sin finally reveals his goal: to exact revenge on the descendants of those who unjustly hung him for the murder of his fiancée. Since Sin awakens the quaint town’s denizens to all of their suppressed urges, this steamy and suspenseful romance with a psychic slant and time-travel twist will pull mature teens. The paranormal angle and several star-crossed love pairings will appeal to fans of the Twilight series. (via Booklist)
# Karissa wrote on June 4, 2009 at 12:26 pm:
I was also intrigued by this book; it sounds like a really cool premise. When I read it though I was really disappointed
I thought the book was badly written and there was a ton of gratuitous drug use and sex; I was super surprised when I found it that this was a young adult book.
It was just one of those that I was so excited to read and so disappointed in
# Ann-Kat wrote on June 4, 2009 at 12:47 pm:
Oh no, Karissa. Now I’m a little worried. It seems that many of the Amazon reviews are along the same lines as yours. I’m really hoping to like it, but I’m not that big on gratuitous sex/drug abuse. Thanks for coming by and letting me know.
# Karissa wrote on June 4, 2009 at 1:13 pm:
I actually got it through the Amazon vine program. If you want to read my whole review it is posted on my blog: http://karissabooks.blogspot.com/2009/06/swoon-by-nina-malkin-15-stars.html
It’s a pretty negative review; but I was just soooo disappointed. I was really excited to read it!
# Angie wrote on June 11, 2009 at 1:27 pm:
Actually i loved this book…is that wrong to say? So what if their were sex/drugs in it. There are many books like that underneath the Young Adult catorgory. Young adult also means like 16-17+ since its “young adult” I am a fan of twilight and this book was outstanding. I really loved the chemistry between Dice and Sin
# Ann-Kat wrote on June 11, 2009 at 3:37 pm:
Of course it’s not wrong to say, Angie.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts. It’s always good to hear what others think about a title.
In Karissa’s case, she believes the sex/drug use was gratuitous, meaning that it wasn’t absolutely necessary for the story to be told. In some cases, sex/drug use is necessary for exposition and characterization, but in this case it wasn’t.
Then again, that’s also a matter of personal opinion.
And one thing I must say I enjoyed about Twilight is the distinct lack of sex/drug use. (There was plenty of sexual tension and that little NyQuil incident, but those are quite different.)
# Karissa wrote on June 11, 2009 at 3:50 pm:
It’s good that you liked the book Angie! Everyone likes different types of books. That’s why there are so many different types out there. It would be great if this book did well and people liked it. It just wasn’t for me.
I just felt like in Twilight Bella and Edward’s relationship actually took a while to build and had a solid foundation. They really cared about each other. I felt like in Swoon Dice cared about Sin and Sin was a jerk. I also felt like Dice’s immediate love of Sin was very, well, immediate…without a nice build up and foundation behind it.
Also while I really do enjoy sexual tension; I didn’t enjoy the sex that much. I mean Edward would have never slept around on Bella and for me that was part of the romance of their relationship.
I am glad you liked it though because it means reading it was enjoyable for you
# Angie wrote on June 12, 2009 at 2:34 pm:
I also agree with you Karissa that their could of been a nice foundation behind their relationship. Haha
and Ann-Kat thanks for respecting my opinion (you too Karrissa) I have to admit though, I thought Pen was good at the beggining but now i hate her 