WaxAuthor: Gina Damico
Genre: YA Fantasy/Horror
Release Date: August 2, 2016
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Format: Hardcover; ebook
368 pages
Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads
Description:
Paraffin, Vermont, is known the world over as home to the Grosholtz
Candle Factory. But behind the sunny retail space bursting with
overwhelming scents and homemade fudge, seventeen-year-old Poppy Palladino
discovers something dark and unsettling: a back room filled with dozens
of startlingly life-like wax sculptures, crafted by one very strange
old lady. Poppy hightails it home, only to be shocked when one of the
figures—a teenage boy who doesn’t seem to know what he is—jumps naked
and screaming out of the trunk of her car. She tries to return him to
the candle factory, but before she can, a fire destroys the mysterious
workshop—and the old woman is nowhere to be seen.
With
the help of the wax boy, who answers to the name Dud, Poppy resolves to
find out who was behind the fire. But in the course of her
investigation, she discovers that things in Paraffin aren’t always as
they seem, that the Grosholtz
Candle Factory isn’t as pure as its reputation—and that some of the
townspeople she’s known her entire life may not be as human as they once
were. In fact, they’re starting to look a little . . . waxy. Can Poppy
and Dud extinguish the evil that's taking hold of their town before it’s
too late?
Wax is a fun and creepy thrill ride that readers will devour in a matter of hours. The book has a great flow and a quick pace, which allowed me to read it in an afternoon. I did find it to be a bit campy, which I thought was endearing and part of it's charm. The plot was pretty straightforward and actually reminded me a little of the movie House of Wax. The characters were all unique, especially the main character - Poppy. She's a huge overachiever and is desperate to regain her good reputation after a huge mishap on a reality TV show. She's smart, down to earth, determined, and a loving daughter and loyal friend. There was something about her character that annoyed me, but I can't seem to put my finger on what it was. Whatever the cause, it wasn't enough to really distract me from the story or impair my experience. Poppy was a good main character, overall, and I enjoyed watching her figure out the big weird mystery surrounding the town and it's inhabitants.
The author did a great job creating the spooky world that the book is set in. It felt realistic, even when things started getting strange and unnatural. I easily slipped inside the story alongside Poppy right from the beginning and I didn't come back out until I had finished the last sentence. There was a fantastic use of description and vivid imagery that really brought everything to life. I don't do spoilers in my reviews, so I can't really say much about the plot or what happens. It was a freaky mystery with some interesting twists and turns, and the ending was not what I was expecting - even though I tried to go into the story open-minded. All in all, it was a quick and very enjoyable book that I easily downed in one sitting. Definitely recommended for fans of urban fantasy, fantasy, paranormal, horror, and humor!
The author did a great job creating the spooky world that the book is set in. It felt realistic, even when things started getting strange and unnatural. I easily slipped inside the story alongside Poppy right from the beginning and I didn't come back out until I had finished the last sentence. There was a fantastic use of description and vivid imagery that really brought everything to life. I don't do spoilers in my reviews, so I can't really say much about the plot or what happens. It was a freaky mystery with some interesting twists and turns, and the ending was not what I was expecting - even though I tried to go into the story open-minded. All in all, it was a quick and very enjoyable book that I easily downed in one sitting. Definitely recommended for fans of urban fantasy, fantasy, paranormal, horror, and humor!
Gina Damico is the author of Croak, Scorch, and Rogue,
the grim-reapers-gone-wild books of the Croak trilogy. She has also
dabbled as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic
artist, movie extra, office troll, retail monkey, yarn hawker and breadmonger.
A native of Syracuse, New York, she now lives outside Boston with her
husband, two cats, and one dog, and while she has never visited hell in
person, she has spent countless waking hours at
the Albany Regional Bus Terminal, which is pretty darn close. Visit her
website at www.ginadami.co.
(3) winners will receive a hardcover of WAX - US Only!
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
7/25/2016- Once Upon a Twilight- Interview
7/26/2016- Eli to the nth- Review
7/27/2016- BookHounds YA- Guest Post
7/28/2016- Lisa Loves Literature- Review
7/29/2016- The Cover Contessa- Interview
Week Two:
8/1/2016- Here's to Happy Endings- Review
8/2/2016- Ohana Reads- Guest Post
8/3/2016- A Dream Within A Dream- Review
8/4/2016- YA Book Madness- Interview
Thanks for the review. Sounds like it is right up my alley!
ReplyDeleteLove the cover and look forward to reading. Thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDelete