Review: Deliciously Wicked
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 11, 2014
~ His eyes did cause some kind of weird visceral reaction in me like no other, almost as if we shared a connection, like we were kindred spirits.~I had the privilege of reading Very Wicked Things early, and to say it knocked me on my tail is an understatement. One of the main things I love about Ilsa's writing is that you never know what you are going to get. You judge a book by its cover, you see small teasers, and you THINK you know what you are in for. Well let me tell you, you literally have NO IDEA. The depth that she pulls from her characters, from the stars to the ones that have one scene, is literary genius at its finest. It's magical. It's awe-inspiring. It's breathtaking. There just aren't enough adjectives that can adequately describe the emotions that coursed in my veins throughout this book. Heck, even merely calling it a book seems like a disservice, for it was SO much more than that. Two broken souls, searching for forgiveness from each other, from those around them, but mostly from themselves. It's a journey, and it's one that will take you from the highest highs to the lowest lows. From the first page until the last, I had no clue how it would end. I had my hopes and I had my fears, but never could I have imagined the outcome.~Perhaps I've given up, Because even at my young age, I recognized the truth: my somedays were killing me one dream at a time.~VWT is the story of Dovey and Cuba. While there are very small mentions to characters in Very Bad Things, for all intents and purposes this is a standalone novel. And for me to admit that is a feat in itself if you know me. When I read Ilsa's debut book last year, it was my very first diamond in the rough. To find those kids of books are rare. I hadn't heard of it beforehand, and only read it because I was guest reviewing on another blog. I'll admit I judged it by its cover. I saw a seemingly spoiled rich girl and assumed what I would find beneath the pages. The reality couldn't have been further from the truth, and while I knew better this go-round, the outcome was similar but SO different! If Ilsa blew me out of the water with VBT, she sunk the dang Titanic with this one! There is literally a crater somewhere in the earth that was created from my jaw dropping so often while reading. Ilsa's books aren't ones that you can simply pick up here and there; no, once you do, you will simply be unable to do anything else. They suck you in and everything else ceases to exist. You are drawn into the characters lives and they become a part of you, or the other way around. It's a beauty to behold and something that happens infrequently.~Did her heart thud as hard as mine? Did she ever think about me and wonder what could have been?~Two pages in and I haven't even really begun to talk about the story. That is both by design and the fact that there is just so much I could say without even touching specifics. Dovey and Cuba have both been kicked around by life. They come into each other's lives at exactly the right and wrong time, depending on how you look at it. But as the universe knows better than we do, sometimes what feels right at the time isn't. Sometimes you aren't yet ready for what life has to offer. And maybe, just maybe, the universe knows more than you and can see this. So even though it seems right at the time, you can't see the big picture, and your seemingly Prince Charming is yanked away. But there are always players in the background, things that are going on that you have NO clue about. And when it's right, it WILL come back. I am a firm believer in fate, but sometimes you have to help it along.~We were both survivors who'd managed to find each other amid the chaos.~There were so many twists and turns in this book that instead of figuring out where to begin, this is where I end. Because to not experience this book blindly, which is basically what I did, would be a disservice to you. There will be clues along the way, but I can guarantee you that you will never see coming what does. Just when you think you are safe, BAM, Ilsa hits you again. I literally didn't know until the very end how anything was going to end up, but those are my favorite books. Who wants predictable and safe? Those are two words that simply don't exist in Ilsa's vocabulary, and I love her all the more for it. She is an author who takes risks and says screw you to the norm. She's an author that will ALWAYS keep me blindly coming back for more!~Sometimes it takes reaching your low before you realize you have to put effort into learning to live again.~