Review: Great writing
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 31, 2013
This book gripped me from the first page. It is absorbing, stylish and fun.The story begins in media res. The teenage heroine, Alexandra Carpenter, has lost her soul--and not in a metaphorical sense. She has been exploited by a sinister "International Pleasant Club" full of rich youngsters, and now the supernatural damage can only be remedied by someone called Julian Lake.We get to see the strange background events that led up to this moment. Alexandra travels to Tokyo, where she becomes involved with the seemingly fun-loving members of an online-advertised, glamorous Club. She doesn't heed the warnings of danger, and soon has the dubious honour of becoming an occult sacrifice. This sets the scene for the meat of the story: Alexandra and Julian's attempt to restore her to metaphysical wholeness, and thwart the evil of the Club. This is complicated by the fact that Julian Lake is both sorcerer, monster and soul eater.I recommend the novel to young adults, and particularly to fans of the later books in the "Harry Potter" series.