Tag Archives: Graveminder

Book Watch – Herald on Sunday, 21 August 2011

by

Book Watch column

Here is the full text of my Book Watch column in today’s Herald on Sunday Books page (21 August 2011), reproduced courtesy of the Herald on Sunday.

Graveminder

By Melissa Marr (Harper Collins, $39.99)

Having felt thoroughly over the supernatural/paranormal/zombies/werewolves/vampires genre, I’m suddenly finding myself enjoying some new titles immensely!  One of the best has definitely been Graveminder, the first adult novel from Melissa Marr. Graveminder takes us to Claysville – small town USA – where the living are kept safe and the dead need looking after. Rebekkah returns to Claysville after the death of her grandmother and discovers that her family history is even more complicated than she knew.  Despite the odd moment of frustration with Rebekkah, Graveminder is a compelling read, entertaining and original.

 

Brimstone

By Alan Skinner (Sibling Press, $21.95)

An accidental find, Brimstone has been a very satisfying read and is perfect for the young adult audience for which it is written. It follows the adventures of Jenny Swift, abruptly taken as an apprentice by the master alchemist Antrobus and thrown into a story of intrigue and mystery, with a bit of alchemy and science too for good measure. While the imagined world of Vale is convincingly portrayed, the real ace here is the character of Jenny – an intelligent female protagonist who is active in her own story, with a few internal reservations and conflicts to keep things interesting. This is the first in a new series (the Earth, Air, Fire and Water Series) and I’m looking forward to reading more.

 

When God Spoke English : The Making of the King James Bible

By Adam Nicolson (Harper Collins, $26.99)

On a completely different note is When God Spoke English, the story of the history and creation of the King James Bible. Adam Nicolson does a simply fantastic job of not only backgrounding the historical Jacobean period, but also illuminating the literary achievement of the King James Bible – bringing out the beauty and grace contained within the language. He takes us into the lives of many of the translators, highlighting the contradictions often present within them as well as the society around them. This is the best kind of history: lively, contextual and relevant.

Book Review: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

by

Graveminder

Graveminder by Melissa Marr, HarperCollins, RRP $39.99, ISBN9780007349272, Available Now.

I know, I know. You’re like “BookieMonster, you keep telling us how you’re over the whole paranormal/supernatural/ werewolves, vampires, zombies OH MY genre and then YOU KEEP READING THEM.”

Yeah. I’m sorry about that. But, in my defense, I keep liking them too, so at least it’s not just an excuse for a whinge but a chance to bring you new and exciting books to read!

Right, so, Graveminder. The first adult novel from Melissa Marr (who has so far written several Young Adult novels including the Wicked Lovely series) Graveminder is a really enjoyable and satisfying read, with only the teeny-tiniest of caveats.

Graveminder follows Rebekkah, returning to smalltown USA Claysville after the death of her grandmother and finding that the history of both her family and Claysville are a little more complicated than she had realised. Claysville is a town where the living are kept safe and the dead need looking after… and it seems Rebekkah is just the gal to do it! To add to matters she’s also returning to her first love, Byron Montgomery. Yes, the love interest’s name is Byron. Yes, he is dark and brooding.

Despite using a pretty well-gone-over trope Graveminder is surprisingly fresh, held aloft by an inventive and original storyline that delves into worlds unknown and reveals just enough to keep you wanting to read more (and hoping there will be a sequel). Marr keeps the tension at just the right level, and throws a bit of undertaking information into the bargain (which I always find fascinating).

So, seriously, the only thing that marred (bada-bing!) my enjoyment of Graveminder was an irritation with one of the characters. Unfortunately that character was the main character – Rebekkah. The “real world” story for Rebekkah is that she is a commitment-phobe, unable to accept Byron’s love, and in denial about her feelings for him. Characters in denial are great, characters who continually voice that denial over and over and over and often twice in the same sentence? Annoying. Fortunately Rebekkah spends a lot more time involved in the action of the story and less time constantly telling us about how she is unable to commit. So really, that’s just a small complaint on my behalf. And perhaps if I was more of a romantic I might have been more tolerant of that.

None of this takes away from the compelling nature of Graveminder. It’s a fun read, well-written and more than a great way to spend a rainy weekend.