As a departure from my usual straightforward review style, and also in an attempt (as always) to capture how fresh my feelings are post finishing a book, I will narrate my experience of The Hearts We Sold from a semi-third person view:
Book mail arrives.
Alexa: Hey, I think you’d like to read this book more than I would. It seems to be about a deal with the devil.
Macky: (looks at book, totally doesn’t read the blurb or the caption on cover) Oooh, sounds deliciously Faustian. Put it on my TBR.
Weeks pass. One day, on a train ride, Macky starts reading the book.
Macky: OMG, who opens a book with “A demon was knitting outside a hospital”?! I’ll tell you who. The author of my new favorite book, that’s who!
Macky is a fourth of the way into the book.
Macky: So, demons have revealed themselves and only want to make deals with consenting adults. Give ‘em a limb and you get your wish. But our girl Dee, she meets a demon who’s all “Lease your heart out to me for 2 years and do some manual labor and you get what you want AND your heart when the allotted time is done.” Huh. Interesting.
*He spends the rest of day thinking about what body part he would trade in a world where demons have made their reality warping wish-granting selves public.*
At home, on the couch, Macky has read a third of the book.
Macky: Wow, these issues are real. I love how this author manages to set Dee’s real-life problems amidst the now larger paranormal world of demons and bargains and consequences.
Macky is now halfway through the book, and starting to rant. Loudly.
Macky: GUYS! Ya’ll can’t be falling in love now. We got *SPOILERS* to deal with! Guys! Guys? (keeps reading) Yep, they don’t care. Just gonna get all real and start liking each other amidst all the… (turns to Alexa) This is the genre, isn’t it… it really does that?
Alexa: Yup.
Macky: (keeps reading and the YA paranormal romance aspect kicks in hard) (eventually stops and throws book away) I didn’t sign up for this… (pleading hysterically)
Alexa: (keeps editing, looks up once in concern, then resumes editing)
Macky: (picks up book with a scowl and finally realizes he totally failed to read the front cover caption - "her heart is no longer hers to give"; he shudders but keeps reading)
Macky finishes the book.
Macky: OMG, THIS! THIS IS MOST LIKELY WHAT THE AUTHOR WANTED TO WRITE THIS BOOK FOR! OMG, I WANT MY PLOTS FREE OF ANY YA ROMANCE! I THOUGHT THIS WAS A FUN FAUSTIAN READ! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME??
Macky hits the epilogue-ish part of the book.
Macky: WHY AM I SAD AND AFFECTED? UGH, SO MANY MIXED FEELINGS. WHY DO I LOVE THISSSSS?!?!?! WHYYYYYY!? IT’S SO GOOD, BUT ALSO SO…… YA PARANORMAL ROMANCE?!
Alexa: I am so amused right now.
And thus ends the saga. The Hearts We Sold is out this week.
The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | Publication Date: August 8, 2017
Source: ARC received from the publisher (Thanks!)
Buy the Book: Book Depository | Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes and Noble
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