Review: Beautifully written--an author to watch!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 23, 2013
If you've read my blog you already know I have mad love for Meradeth Houston. Not only is she a sweet person (and funny), but she is a wicked talented author. When I read her debut young adult paranormal Colors Like Memories I was blown away. I love her writing style and the subject matter was so relevant to today's teens. It's an awesome book all the way around. I highly recommend it. If you haven't picked up a copy, get one. You'll be glad you did.Based on my experience with Colors Like Memories I had extremely high hopes for The Chemistry Of Fate. I knew it was going to be good, but wow! I had no idea it was going to surpass Colors Like Memories.I'm always one to look at the first sentence of a book. A lot of my decision to continue to read a book or not hinges on that first sentence. My like or dislike of that sentence decides if I keep reading the paragraph, which, in turn, decides if I read the next paragraph and ultimately the book. Meradeth has a way with first sentences. I still believe the first sentence in Colors Like Memories is the best first sentence I've ever read in a book. Period. But, the first sentence in The Chemistry Of Fate rates up there on my list of favorites, too."They are everywhere, can be anyone, and are always the last person you'd expect."Okay, that got me. Who are they? And why does the person speaking feel the need to mention them? So that sentence made me want to read more and the second sentence...I should have said the seat was taken before she sat down.made me want to keep reading. Why? Why not let her sit there? Who is she?Meradeth did exactly what great authors do. She presented questions to her readers in the first few sentences. Questions keep readers engaged in the story. They keep them reading to find the answers--and you'll want to keep reading to find the answers to the questions in The Chemistry of Fate.I was immediately drawn into the lives of Tom and Ari. I cared about them. I needed to know what happened to them at each stage of the story. I felt their conflicting emotions, their fear, confusion.Meradeth's writing style draws me into her stories. I love how she strings words together. It's almost like a melody. There were so many areas of the book that when I read them I was struck by how beautifully written they were..."I knew for certain I loved her when I flew in the night sky, and the stars only reminded me of her eyes. I could never utter such a line aloud, but it happened."And my ultimate favorite quote from The Chemistry Of Fate:"Walking from the funeral, leaving her body behind for the last time, I was so full of rage. I longed to hurt something. But then it started to snow. She always loved the snow. And I stood in the white world and wept."That touched me and my throat got that ridiculous tight lump in it. You know the one. It comes just before your eyes start to leak. And then my husband teases me for crying over a book, but how can that not touch a part of your heart? The pain in the passage is evident and the writing is beautiful.I could go on about how much I loved this book. I could tell you what happened in each chapter, but that would spoil the fun for you when you read it. Instead I'm just going to finish my review with my rating, which I'm sure by now you can guess.Bottom line: Meradeth Houston is an excellent author and I highly recommend The Chemistry Of Fate.Five Stars--I loved it!Also check out Meradeth's debut:Colors Like Memories