Review: Taste the Reality of Being a Teen
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 19, 2013
Morgenroth presents something new to the Young Adult Genre that is refreshing... reality. Marketed as "Mature Young Adult" I hope this does not scare the older teens from this title, there is a story here that is not oft told. There is no fairy tale ending in this story, but an ending that allows you to breathe and accept what has happened. Morgenroth developed a character that is more than just a girl, she is a fighter, even if she doesn't realize it. Trapped in a life that is horrible, Neal resigns herself to nothingness. She perfects the art of hiding in plain sight. She is what most teens are... dealing with a wretched self image. Like far too many teens Neal has developed this image based on the adults around her. Welcome to reality, a dysfunctional family! As a product of a dysfunctional home, I can totally feel Neal's emotional pain.The plot is very good, there is just one tiny rough patch that nagged at me... initially it was hard to determine the POV (point of view) of the narrator and then we lose time in an abrupt jump from the act that sets the tone of the drama. Once, I grasped the POV by the reigns though, I was bitten by the tartness of Neal's character, the sweetness of the Lambert family, or the bitterness of the Kent family. The music aspect of this story is sadly not shared with the person in the teaser for the book, and I think that is a pity. Music is an essential piece that is the puzzle of Neal Marchal. Morgenroth taunted me with the apple now, and I look forward to picking into book two in the series very soon.