Fury - Elizabeth Miles
Synopsis: It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But all is not as it seems...
Em is thrilled that the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend. And on the other side of town, Chase’s social life is unraveling and the stress of his home life is starting to take its toll. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel....And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.
In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. There are three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—to choose who will pay. Em and Chase have been chosen.
Reading this book was like driving on ice, knowing you are about to land in a ten car pile up on the highway. But you keep driving because there is something worth taking the risk to get to at the end of the road. And after I write this analogy, I'm noticing that there are a lot of crashing cars in this book....hmmm...
I loved this book, but I don't know that I could say exactly why. I did like that it showed the evil side of popularity from the inside. You generally get that from most characters - some sort of opinion or portrayal of life looking from the outside in - or even if the characters are part of the popular group they are still shown positively. In this book, they aren't. Actually, most of the characters were pretty evil, an evil that is attributed to their social status. I'm so thoroughly impressed with Elizabeth Miles' creation of characters that you can hate so much, but still love.
It's told from both Chase and Emily's point of view, an interesting choice since they weren't entirely close. I actually hated Chase through the whole book - I found him cruel and obnoxious, and pitiable. Emily had the redemptive qualities that Chase didn't - although I might see it that way because I have an easier time relating to her. I felt for her because she actually put an effort into writing her wrongs. She has the whole "falling" for her best friend's boyfriend- and that whole scenario is important as it demonstrates the need to distinguish between love and lust. I get pretty frustrated because I think a lot of people mistake fierce attraction for love - they aren't the same - so I love that that was addressed through Emily.
And my lit analysis self was going crazy looking at gender differences. You know that Chase did something terrible through the whole book, but you don't find out until later. Emily is exactly opposite - you see her committing her crimes. It's very telling for the internal emotions of boys and the outward emotions of girls. You always knew what Emily was reacting to, but Chase's thoughts and actions were more of a mystery. Maybe I'm reading into that whole thing too much, but it was definitely interesting that the two stories were told these ways, operating in different times and spaces, and then coming together in a way that feels entirely natural. In any case, these things add lovely layers to the novel and make it wonderful.
Fury is the first book in the trilogy - the second, Envy is due to be released in October 2012. I can't wait, because there's so much left unanswered at the end of this book - but at the same time I can hardly imagine what could possibly come next.
Fury - Elizabeth Miles
Synopsis: It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But all is not as it seems...
Em is thrilled that the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend. And on the other side of town, Chase’s social life is unraveling and the stress of his home life is starting to take its toll. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel....And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.
In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. There are three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—to choose who will pay. Em and Chase have been chosen.
Reading this book was like driving on ice, knowing you are about to land in a ten car pile up on the highway. But you keep driving because there is something worth taking the risk to get to at the end of the road. And after I write this analogy, I'm noticing that there are a lot of crashing cars in this book....hmmm...
I loved this book, but I don't know that I could say exactly why. I did like that it showed the evil side of popularity from the inside. You generally get that from most characters - some sort of opinion or portrayal of life looking from the outside in - or even if the characters are part of the popular group they are still shown positively. In this book, they aren't. Actually, most of the characters were pretty evil, an evil that is attributed to their social status. I'm so thoroughly impressed with Elizabeth Miles' creation of characters that you can hate so much, but still love.
It's told from both Chase and Emily's point of view, an interesting choice since they weren't entirely close. I actually hated Chase through the whole book - I found him cruel and obnoxious, and pitiable. Emily had the redemptive qualities that Chase didn't - although I might see it that way because I have an easier time relating to her. I felt for her because she actually put an effort into writing her wrongs. She has the whole "falling" for her best friend's boyfriend- and that whole scenario is important as it demonstrates the need to distinguish between love and lust. I get pretty frustrated because I think a lot of people mistake fierce attraction for love - they aren't the same - so I love that that was addressed through Emily.
And my lit analysis self was going crazy looking at gender differences. You know that Chase did something terrible through the whole book, but you don't find out until later. Emily is exactly opposite - you see her committing her crimes. It's very telling for the internal emotions of boys and the outward emotions of girls. You always knew what Emily was reacting to, but Chase's thoughts and actions were more of a mystery. Maybe I'm reading into that whole thing too much, but it was definitely interesting that the two stories were told these ways, operating in different times and spaces, and then coming together in a way that feels entirely natural. In any case, these things add lovely layers to the novel and make it wonderful.
Fury is the first book in the trilogy - the second, Envy is due to be released in October 2012. I can't wait, because there's so much left unanswered at the end of this book - but at the same time I can hardly imagine what could possibly come next.
