Review: Melt

Melt by Selene Castrovilla

 

Title: Melt

Series: none

Author: Selene Castrovilla

 

Published: Last Syllable Books; 2014*

328 pages, kindle edition

 

Source: Jen Halligan PR

 
Rating: 2.5 stars
 

Description (from Goodreads):

Melt is a brutal love story, set against the backdrop of The Wizard of Oz. Sixteen year old “good girl” Dorothy just blew into the small town of Highland Park – where the social headquarters is Munchkinland (Dunkin’ Donuts.) There, she meets Joey – a “bad boy” who tells no one about the catastrophic domestic violence he witnesses at home. Can these two lovers survive peer pressure, Joey’s reputation, and his alcoholism? And then there’s his family's secret – about to be unleashed.

Told in dual first person, Joey's words are scattered on the page - reflecting his broken state. Dorothy is the voice of reason - until something so shattering happens that she, too, may lose her grip. Can their love endure, or will it melt away?

My Thoughts:

2.5 stars Before I start let me admit that I may or may not have enjoyed this more if I went in expecting a contemporary romance in verse. I was not expecting that at all. Why wasn't I? Well, maybe because the description implies a Wizard of Oz retelling and this certainly isn't one - naming a character Dorothy and creating a plotline that is supposedly a "journey like a metaphorical Yellow Brick Road" does not count. I feel cheated. I also want to point out the I don't read verse books for a reas... 2.5 stars Before I start let me admit that I may or may not have enjoyed this more if I went in expecting a contemporary romance in verse. I was not expecting that at all. Why wasn't I? Well, maybe because the description implies a Wizard of Oz retelling and this certainly isn't one - naming a character Dorothy and creating a plotline that is supposedly a "journey like a metaphorical Yellow Brick Road" does not count. I feel cheated. I also want to point out the I don't read verse books for a reason. I am not a fan of poetry. Sure I love poetic writing, in fact, I love poetic writing when it is in the right sort of book. I do not want to read books that are written in this choppy lines thing however. It gives me a headache and brings back my nightmares about Shatter Me. I had no idea this book would be dictated in this way or I would not have accepted a review copy. I don't want to have to write a negative review just because this sort of books is a personal peeve of mine. Getting to the actual book... the plot was just a little too dull for my liking. It wasn't until about the 60% mark that it picked up some pace, but even then it wasn't exactly riveting. The characters were the only real highlights for me. I enjoyed their heartiness and they were easily loveable. The romance would have been better if it hadn't been another case of insta-love. I am so sick and tired of that rubbish but that is a rant for another time. Overall, I am disappointed that this wasn't a book that grabbed me. I had already marked it as a possible new favourite and I am really disheartened. For fans of verse it might be worth a shot but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Selene Castrovilla and Jen Halligan of Jen Halligan PR in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

 

 *Release: November 6th, 2014