Bliss - Lauren Myracle

Bones, says a voice in my head, tombs.
I stop dead in my tracks, because it's
not my voice that whispered these
thoughts. And whoever's voice it
is, it's not a nice voice.

Summary (from Amazon):

Lauren Myracle brings her keen understanding of teen dynamics to a hypnotic horror story of twisted friendship.

When Bliss’s hippie parents leave the commune and dump her at the home of her aloof grandmother in a tony Atlanta neighborhood, it’s like being set down on an alien planet. The only guide naive Bliss has to her new environment is what she’s seen on The Andy Griffith Show. But Mayberry is poor preparation for Crestview Academy, an elite school where the tensions of the present and the dark secrets of the past threaten to simmer into violence. Openhearted Bliss desperately wants new friends, making her the perfect prey of a troubled girl whose obsession with a long-ago death puts Bliss, and anyone she’s kind to, in mortal danger.

Lauren Myracle has taken the ubiquitous friendship novel to a new, dark place.

Review:

This has to be one of my favorite books from 2008. It gets you interesting really fast, and keeps you wanting to read until the end.

The beginning really gets you into the story and will have you captivated by it. Once the story gets to the climax, you will keep reading and reading and you won't want to stop.

There are many plot turns that I didn't see coming. I thought it was one thing and it turned out to be the wayyy opposite of what I believed.

The only thing that wasn't very good about this book was the ending. Now, sometimes, I like - even love - books that leave the ending up to you to decide, to imagine what happens. But the ending to Bliss wasn't one of the open endings that I like. It was too open of an ending.

So, besides the ending, Bliss is a book that I highly recommend you to read. It is a great mix of friendship, magic, and horror - all with a lot of suspense. Plus, you will learn a lot about the 1960s without it seeming like Myracle is throwing a bunch of facts in your face.



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Nominations are now due in TWO DAYS for the Book Awards. I still only have two entries! If I don't get any more, the Awards will be a no-go, and I will be sad. :( So, check out the categories and send in some nominations, pleasepleaseplease! :)

hope.