When Deanna's missing friend Hyde turns up at his father's funeral to claim his corporate empire and inheritance, she is swept into his glittering world of paparazzi and wealth.
But re-kindling her friendship and the dizzying new emotions along for the ride are the least of her concerns. Because Deanna has a secret - and somebody knows. Someone who is out to get Hyde. And if she doesn't play along, and help the enemy destroy him...she will be sold to the highest bidder in the black market for human swans.
Now Deanna is struggling to break free from the gilded cage that would trap her forever...
Feather Bound is a dark debut reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez's A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, and the twisted truth behind the fairy tale of Cinderella.
Rating - 4 Stars
Major Pros - Unique Concept, Interesting Story
Major Cons - Supporting Character Development
How I Read It - Purchased
I've been excited about a few 2014 debuts that have been coming out within the past few months. If you've followed the blog for awhile, you probably saw my 'Can't Wait Books of 2014' my Top Ten Tuesday where I featured 5 sequels and 5 debuts I couldn't wait to read, and other discussions on upcoming debuts that began way back in January. Feather Bound by Sarah Raughley was one that I featured several times in these posts. This is one of the top three debuts I'd been looking forward to, and I'm so glad I finally had the opportunity to read it.
Simply by looking at the synopsis it's easy to see Feather Bound is a unique story. However, I was continually surprised by how refreshingly different this story was. Firstly, Feather Bound has very few of the typical paranormal tropes that I've seen in YA. For one thing, the supernatural element of swans is not something unbeknownst to society. Instead, swans as a whole are known of, and considered a social issue. I don't want to go into detail about the swan background and makeup, but I was intrigued by such a unique concept. Because it's unlike aything I've read before, I wanted a little more information about the swans but felt like I could still follow their story and problems for the most part.
The main character Deanna, and Hyde were both unique. Deanna wasn't a perfect protagonist, but despite her flaws she was never overbearing or too annoying. Hyde was a character I wish we had seen more of; part of my frustration with Deanna's character was her interactions with Hyde in the beginning. However, both of these characters grew and developed as the story went on, and I enjoyed learning more about them. I didn't see most of the plot twists coming, although I did realize some before the protagonist did.
In general, I was really interested and impressed by this debut. Although I'm pretty sure this is a standalone, I wish there would be more to this story and world, since it is so unique and I thought that the supporting characters lacked character development and, after the drama and suspense, I wanted to read more about these characters but the ending felt abrupt. This is a really unique debut that had good characters and a one of a kind supernatural aspect in the world that I want to read more about.
From the paper world,
V
I agree 100% with your review. I really loved how unique and fresh this book felt and I totally want more books like this. I wish this was a series because I would definitely be down for reading more. It was a paranormal that read a lot like a contemporary to me which I really liked. I do agree about the supporting characters though. We could have gotten a bit more development from them. But overall, I really enjoyed this one. Glad you liked it!
ReplyDeleteGlad you agree! It's really different, and I loved that about it. I think a series of this would be interesting but it's also a totally amazing standalone too, which is a sign of a good book!
Delete