Today I get to tell you about an interesting new book...
Keep reading for my thoughts and more!
About the Book
by Stephen David Hurley
Genre: YA Thriller
Release Date: October 10th 2016
Summary from Goodreads:
What if the secret to being charismatic were actually a gene you could inherit, and pass along to your children. What if this "X-factor" could make you a star? Welcome to the world of Cease de Menich, a sixteen-year-old actress in New York City who gets cast as Joan-of-Arc in a reality-drama, only to discover her "acting gift" has been passed down through her bloodline for almost six-hundred-years. Cease finds the plot of the drama reveals dark secrets from her past--an abusive mother, a brother who committed suicide--and the reader must decide if she's a reliable narrator or a terrified girl who's succumb to the pressure of fame and the abuse of her past.
Cease & Desist is a dark, contemporary YA thriller with a supernatural twist. Readers of books like I Let You Go and The Girl on the Train will enjoy this coming-of-age story, which struggles with the realities of sexuality, violence as entertainment, and mental illness. Cease & Desist has excellent crossover potential into the adult marketplace.
Buy: Amazon
About the Author
Stephen David Hurley teaches middle school and blogs about fiction, faith and young people. You can find his blog at—you guessed it—fictionfaithandyoungpeople.com
Author Links:
My Review
Title: Cease & Desist
Author: Stephen David Hurley
Format: Digital ARC
Source: Netgalley
To be 100% honest with you, I am not quite sure what I just read, but I do know that I enjoyed it.
As the story starts we are introduced to Cease, short for Cecile, the narrator of our story, an actress in a new scripted time-traveling “reality” show/competition featuring strong historical female figures. She plays Jeanne (do not let her hear you call her Joan) of Arc on the show where the rules and script are constantly changing. I am not even sure Cease knows what is going on with the show, herself, half of the time. The show has become more violent and sex-driven than what Cease originally signed up for and she is not sure she can cross those lines just to win.
The story gets off to a bit of a confusing start with bits and pieces of information being revealed by Cease about both the show and her own life and history so you are never quite sure what is going on or if you can even trust Cease’s view on things. There are secrets in Cease’s family and life that are slowly revealed and you can sense Cease slowly unraveling as the story progresses. The inside of Cease’s mind is definitely a complicated and odd place to be.
Cease & Desist was definitely a strange and complicated story, but I couldn’t put it down. I may not have been sure of what was going on, but I needed to know what was going to happen next…where was this crazy journey Cease was leading us on going to take us. Overall, this was an intriguing and unique story with fascinating characters and a plot that challenges sex and violence in the media aimed at teens.
My Rating: 3 ½ Stars
*I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
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