Series: Blood for Blood #1
Author: Catherine Doyle
Edition: Paperback
Publication: Chicken House Ltd / February 24, 2015
Source: ARC sent by the publisher via National Book Store
Pages: 352
Genre: Mystery, Romance
Trailer: Not available.
Synopsis:
When it comes to revenge, love is a dangerous complication.With a fierce rivalry raging between two warring families, falling in love is the deadliest thing Sophie could do. An epic debut set outside modern-day Chicago.
When five brothers move into the abandoned mansion in her neighbourhood, Sophie Gracewell's life changes forever. Irresistibly drawn to bad boy Nicoli, Sophie finds herself falling into a criminal underworld governed by powerful families. As the boys' dark secrets begin to come to light, Sophie is confronted with stinging truths about her own family, too. She must choose between two warring dynasties - the one she was born into, and the one she is falling in love with. When she does, blood will spill and hearts will break.
*Some spoilers.*
I was rather confused about my own judgement after reading Vendetta. I couldn't figure out if I loved it or didn't. Balancing the pros and cons plus the feels made it a little bit complicated for me to give it a rating. So days later, I settled for what I thought was the best rating for it - three stars - and decided I enjoyed it.
Vendetta was a light read and easy to go through. I liked how right the pacing was and the story line held its mystery in a way that would keep you going. It was a breath of fresh air for me despite those moments I cringed because of how some parts sounded so ridiculous to me. It was all in all an enjoyable read.
I decided to also just bury the parts I didn't like at the back of my head so I could focus on what made me like this book. However, am still going to enumerate them just to clear the air.
I will go ahead and jump right at the unfavorable parts of Vendetta:
- Sophie saw Nic and talked to him briefly in three separate occasions and then 85 pages later, she admitted she's developing feelings for him. Insta-love is and will always be a huge no for me.
- Sophie was just absolutely naive. (or am hoping that she's THAT kind to consider everything and everyone a good seed.)
- I was turned off by the way the plot twist kept being delayed. I want a book to surprise the hell out of me and not give me hints.
- Nic said things that were obviously what someone wanted to hear. It felt scripted.
- The honey jar took too much attention, seriously.
- How Nic suddenly changed his ways for Sophie. I mean, he's been like that for so long and he said that's the way they live/that's who he was but for Sophie who isn't even his girl friend, he broke their family's code.
- There's a similar line from Twilight.
- The Mafia was thrilling. But the execution? Bleh.
Now the favorable ones and my favorites:
- I realized it was better that the story was told in Sophie's point of view because it was nice to start off on a clean slate. It would have gone too strong it it were Nic's.
- Easy to read.
- The punch lines were hilarious.
- Luca. He's scary but loyal to the bone. Also, brave and logical.
- I liked the emblem of the family.
- I enjoyed how this is something different from any other YAs I've read. At first I thought it was Paranormal but it wasn't. I was surprised that something as unique as this is already out there in the wild.
- Luca.
- Luca.
- Luca.
Thrilling and oozing with danger, Vendetta isn't only a distinctive read but it's loaded with conspiracy and hilarity! I'm excited to read book 2!
Thank you Chicken House, Scholastic PH and National Book Store for the review copy!
"This life is so complex that we rarely get to be the people we are truly meant to be. Instead, we wear masks and put up walls to keep from dealing with the fear of rejection, the feeling of regret, the very idea that someone may not love us for who we are deep in our core, that they might not understand the things that drives us. I want to study the realness of life, not the gloss. There is beauty everywhere; even in the dark, there is light, and that is the rarest kind of all."
"You can't avoid the inevitability of death. It comes at you one way or another, and takes us all to the same place in the end. To apologize for it is to apologize for the sun shining or the rain falling."
"Some memories hurt when they hit you."
""There are certain mistakes I can afford to make," he replied evenly. "And certain mistakes I can't.""
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