These Ruthless Deeds (These Vicious Masks #2)
Author: Kelly Zekas, Tarun Shanker
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Publication Date: March 14, 2017Publisher: Swoon Reads
Description:
England, 1883. Still recovering from a devastating loss, Evelyn is determined to use her powers to save other gifted people from those who would harm them. But when her rescue of a young telekinetic girl goes terribly wrong, Evelyn finds herself indebted to a secret society devoted to recruiting and protecting people like Evelyn and her friends.
As she follows the Society’s orders, healing the sick and embarking on perilous recruitment missions, Evelyn sees her problems disappear. Her reputation is repaired, her friends are provided for, and her parents are newly wealthy. She reunites with the dashing Mr. Kent and recovers the reclusive Mr. Braddock (who has much less to brood over now that the Society can help him to control his dangerous power). But Evelyn can’t help fearing the Society is more sinister than it appears…
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These Ruthless Deeds is the exciting second book in a fantastic young adult
historical/paranormal series. The story is set in Victorian England, and
gives it a more gloomy and Gothic feel - which I think is a perfect
setting for the book. Our main character, Evelyn, is a member of high
society and the perfect age to be getting married (or so her mother
thinks). Evelyn doesn't care about the suitors, the balls, the theater,
and all the other silly things involved with matchmaking. She's a
fantastic lead for the series - smart, down to earth, a devoted and
loving daughter and sister, curious about all the world has to offer,
and incredibly determined. The story is told from Evelyn's point of
view, which I thought was another great fit for the book. I love when an
author uses the first person POV, because it allows the reader to
connect on a much deeper level with the narrator than any other writing
style. We get to know their deepest fears, inner thoughts, memories,
hopes and dreams, and so much more. I found Evelyn to be a realistic
character and I was able to identify with her almost immediately. I
found her sarcasm and thoughts about their society's rituals to be quite
funny. I felt like we would definitely be friends if I could slip
inside the story alongside her, which it sort of felt like anyway - due
to the use of the first person POV.
The
plot itself was original and completely intriguing. I found myself
reading as quickly as I could to see what was going to happen next. The
story is a great mix of historical fiction, paranormal, and fantasy - and I
felt the author did a wonderful job presenting all of the strange
aspects and having it all blend together so effortlessly. The addition of the secret society upped the tension and made the story even more exciting. Evelyn's
character experiences a lot of growth throughout the book and I liked watching her mature in several ways. I'm anxious to see how
she'll handle the events that crop up in the next book of the series,
and I hope to see her continue to change and grow on several levels.
Overall, this is an awesome second installment in a compelling series that had me lost inside its pages
until the very end. I got so wrapped up in the story and all the various
things happening - that I ended up reading the entire book in one
sitting. I can't wait for the next installment of the series to release
to find out where things will go from here. I definitely recommend this
book to fans of YA paranormal fiction, along with readers who enjoy
historical fiction, fantasy, supernatural, and romance. You're going to
want to pick this one up!
Tarun and Kelly met in a freshman year writing class at NYU and started writing These Vicious Masks a few years later.Tarun is a writer living in Los Angeles whose idea of paradise consists of kung-fu movies, David Bowie and chai tea. Since completing his first horrible screenplay in high school, he’s written everything from one-act plays and film criticism to humor pieces and strongly-worded emails. He’s also magnetized, crushed and burned the hard drive where that first screenplay can be found.
Kelly is a writer and actor living in NYC. YA is her absolute favorite thing on earth other than cupcakes and she has spent many hours crying over fictional deaths. She also started reading Harlequin romances at a possibly too early age (12?), and still loves a good paperback romance.
Links (Tarun):
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter
Great review! This sounds like a fun read and definitely very unique!
ReplyDeleteExcellent review--you've made up my mind that I should read this exciting book if it kept you turning pages. Love the cover!
ReplyDeleteIm really excited for this one!
ReplyDeleteWhen someone says that they had to read as quickly as possible to see what happens next I know it's going to be a good book! Thanks for the post.
ReplyDelete