The Cellarby Natasha Preston
Genre: Thriller / Psychological / Mystery / Young Adult
Ages: 16 and up
I received an advance e-copy of this book through NetGalley and Sourcebooks as part of a blog tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Description:
"Lily?"
My stomach dropped as a tall, dark-haired man stepped into view. Had he been hiding between the trees? "No. Sorry." Gulping, I took a step back. "I'm not Lily."
Before I could blink, he threw his arms forward and grabbed me. I tried to shout, but he clasped his hand over my mouth, muffling my screams. My heart raced. I'm going to die.
For months, Summer is trapped in a cellar with the man who took her-and three other girls: Rose, Poppy, and Violet. His perfect, pure flowers. His family. But flowers can't survive long cut off from the sun, and time is running out...
My Thoughts:
This book grabbed me immediately, tugging my emotions this way and that. It starts very simply, with an ordinary girl on an ordinary evening. She feels safe in her ordinary world, with her ordinary friends and family. The sheer normality of it is part of what makes the story so powerful; if this could happen to her, it could happen to you.
Summer is kidnapped and taken to the titular Cellar, where she is locked away with three other girls. She is renamed Lily, and forced to conform to a madman's vision of the perfect family. If she fights back, a terrible fate awaits her, but is it a worse fate than losing herself completely?
The story is told with three points of view; Summer's, Clover's and Lewis'. While Summer fights to retain her sanity, it is clear that Clover lost his long ago. The author did an absolutely brilliant job with him, with the complexities of his twisted mind. Despite the terrible things he does, I felt sorry for him at times. I could understand his motivations, even as he sent shivers down my spine.
I loved Lewis. He is such a straightforward, no-nonsense kind of guy, the perfect foil to the psychological intricacies of Summer and Clover's points of view. He is loyal to a fault and stubborn as a mule. Knowing what he is feeling, and seeing through his eyes what Summer's family is going through, gives the story greater dimension.
The writing style was very simple, almost sparse, throughout. The lack of detailed descriptions actually gave some things more impact than I would have thought. The atrocities Clover commits are all the more horrifying for not being graphically described, which gives them a surreal, almost nightmarish quality.
The ending was not entirely resolved, but in a way that felt realistic. It also seemed like it might be open to a sequel, but that may be wishful thinking on my part. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers and doesn't mind developing a certain paranoia about walking alone in their own neighborhoods.
Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme). Ratings may contain spoilers.
Profanity:
I rate it an 8.10 for several uses of the f-word as well as mild to mid-level swearing.
Sexuality:
I rate it a 5.10 for rape, vaguely described, as well as references and innuendo.
Violence:
I give it an 8.10 for multiple murders and rape, which were not very graphically described.
Lieder Madchen
I have never heard of this book, but it does sound powerful. I think it is interesting that it is told from different characters' points of view. Thanks for putting in on my radar. :)
ReplyDeleteRead this book on wattpad the first book I actually finished, that within few days.
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