Review: Cuba and Dovey's Angst Filled Story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 13, 2014
I haven’t felt as much heartache and anguish while reading a book as I did reading Cuba and Dovey’s story in quite some time. I don’t even know how to explain it…my heart literally hurt reading about what both of them went through after their break up, both separately and together.Ilsa Madden-Mills gives her readers two main characters who have to grow up too fast too soon, and the damage caused by this is life altering. In Very Wicked Beginnings, we are given some of Cuba and Dovey’s background, which allows us to understand the damaged boy behind the playboy persona and the broken girl underneath the beautiful dancer, but Very Wicked Things makes us face the depth of their torment and the true essence of how they see themselves and their situations.CubaI don’t think there has ever been a character that I have wanted to strangle and hug at the same time more than Cuba. As much as he doesn’t want to feel anything, he wears his guilt and anger like an albatross around his neck, and he can’t break free from it. It is literally suffocating him. He can’t forgive himself for actions he committed that he truly believes took his sister and his mother away from him, which solidifies for him that he only hurts those he loves. From that perspective, he feels he doesn’t deserve Dovey, so he does the only thing he feels is right – he breaks her heart. He thinks he’s saving her, but what he doesn’t realize is that he’s simply destroying the one person that could be his saving grace.His choices had me shaking my head constantly. I found myself screaming at my kindle because I just wanted him to “get it.” I wanted him to realize that there was still time to fix it, even after he broke Dovey’s heart and ignored her for over a year, but he kept digging his heels in and forcing himself to hurt her again and again. Their story was one that I didn’t see how a happy ending could be in their future due to the s***storm that surrounded them.DoveyThe amount of poise and grace this young woman has is amazing. For those she loves, she gives so freely of herself, never asking for anything in return but to be loved back. She risked a great deal giving her heart to Cuba, and even after he does exactly what she felt in her heart he would do, she can’t stop loving him…stop thinking about him…stop needing him. But there are more complications in her life than just a boy who broke her heart. She has goals and dreams and hope for a someday that doesn’t seem to be every coming because no matter how hard she tries to overcome her background and environment, it keeps knocking her down, and it’s unforgiving in what it expects from her. She’s always thought about being brave and strong like Joan of Arc, but she’s never seen herself as a girl capable of such acts, but readers see her that way…her true family sees her that way…even Cuba does.How much penance should someone have to endure to rid themselves of the guilt they feel? How much self loathing can someone withstand until it drowns them? For Cuba, those are not easy questions to answer, but Ilsa Madden-Mills does a fantastic job of illustrating his attempt, which at times is misguided, to do so. Very Wicked Things is definitely an angst filled journey that will have readers wondering how Cuba and Dovey can be together after all that has occurred. Be patient and let Ilsa’s writing take you on their quest for personal redemption and hopefully, their happy ending.Very Wicked Things is an AMAZING read. I don't want to say it's better than the first one because Nora and Leo's story is beyond special to me, but this story is just as special. It's darker and more complicated...at times, I wanted them to get over their s*** already but then when everything was laid out...I got it...their journeys separately were more important than their journey together. That was the only way they could truly be together without the baggage. I'm so glad they got their someday.Ilsa, thank you so much for allowing me to read this before its release. It's brilliant!A complimentary copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.5++ poison apples! (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)