Opinião: Um Baile de Finalistas Infernal (Rosemary Clement-Moore)

Um Baile de Finalistas Infernal de Rosemary Clement-Moore
Editora: Asa / 1001 Mundos (2011)
Formato: Capa Mole | 282 páginas
Géneros: Literatura Juvenil, Fantasia Urbana

Descrição (GR): "Maggie Quinn é uma jovem repórter. Aluna do quadro de honra, jornalista do jornal da escola e fotógrafa do livro de curso.

Faltam seis semanas para a formatura e tudo o que ela quer é sair inteira da secundária Avalon. Uma croma sensata teria mantido a cabeça baixa e continuado a contagem decrescente até ao dia da entrega dos Diplomas. Mas o destino parece ter planos diferentes para Maggie.

A escola secundária pode ser um terreno fértil para a proliferação do mal, mas o cheiro a fogo e enxofre ainda continua a ser algo de invulgar. É o cheiro identificativo do enxofre que faz com que Maggie desconfie que há algo que não está bem. E, quando começam a acontecer coisas que parecem saídas do Twilight Zone, Maggie percebe que depende dela entrar em contacto com a sua Nancy Drew interior e descobrir o que soltou aquele mal antigo, antes que vá tudo para o inferno, literalmente.

Maggie sempre desconfiou que o baile de finalistas é uma obra do diabo, mas parece que a sua presença é obrigatória. Às vezes, uma rapariga tem de fazer certas coisas bastante desagradáveis para salvar a sua cidade de demónios, vindos do inferno, que esmagam a alma. E também das chefes de claque."

ATENÇÃO: Contém ligeiros SPOILERS.

Peguei neste livro com baixas expectativas, confesso. Pareceu-me que ia ser mais um mistério paranormal insonso e pouco original, com uma heroína igualmente insonsa.

Acabei por gostar bastante da leitura. O livro demora um bocado a descolar, mas enquanto a trama não se adensa temos Maggie Quinn para nos entreter; uma rapariga positiva, sempre com resposta pronta.

O início é um pouco confuso. Somos apresentados a Maggie, jornalista para o jornal da escola e uma rapariga nada popular. Claro que a primeira situação do livro é logo um confronto com o grupo de desportistas e líderes de claque da escola, mas Maggie é esperta e tem um dito espirituoso na ponta da língua para fazer frente aos insultos.

Mas depois a nossa protagonista começa a ter sonhos estranhos e é-nos apresentada uma outra faceta dela e da sua família: segundo a avó de Maggie, os Quinn têm um talento algo sobrenatural que se manifesta através de pressentimentos e sonhos. Maggie chama-lhe intuição mas a avó chama-lhe clarividência. Aqui é que fica tudo um pouco confuso porque não nos é explicada a origem ou natureza exacta deste 'poder'. Creio que isto seja propositado; já li outras obras da autora e parece-me que ela gosta de manter os seus eventos sobrenaturais subtis (ou seja tem tudo mais a ver com sensações, pressentimentos e o que não se vê). No entanto, isto criou alguma confusão, como disse, porque faltou alguma história de fundo em relação ao dom de Maggie. E se ela era céptica de início (também por razões desconhecidas) em relação à origem sobrenatural do seu dom, depressa se convenceu do contrário.

Temos então uma heroína com um ligeiro poder sobrenatural que se vê envolvida num mistério também sobrenatural. Começam a acontecer alguns acidentes na escola que parecem ser causados por um fantasma vingativo. Maggie tem um mau pressentimento e decide investigar (como o faria a sua heroína favorita, a Nancy Drew), contando com a ajuda de Justin, um dos alunos universitários do seu pai. 

Depois da história 'arrancar', o livro ganhou nova vivacidade. O mistério é bastante fácil de desvendar (ou pelo menos os culpados são), mas gostei de todo o desenvolvimento que culminou no desfecho passado (onde mais) no Baile de Finalistas. Em termos de ritmo este livro desenrola-se mais regularmente do que outras obras da autora e consequentemente não houve muitos 'tempos mortos'. Gostei do facto de a autora ter feito alguma pesquisa e ter incluído mitos e lendas antigas, nomeadamente sobre a antiga Mesopotâmia. 

Para além de ser previsível o único outro problema a apontar é o facto do romance parecer algo forçado. 

No geral uma leitura leve e intrigante, recomendada para quem gosta de mistérios paranormais com uma protagonista auto-suficiente, inteligente e energética. Estou interessada nas próximas aventuras de Maggie.

Review: The Splendor Falls (Rosemary Clement-Moore)

The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Publisher: Delacorte Books (2011)

Format: Paperback | 513 pages

Genre(s): Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Description (GR): "Sylvie Davis is a ballerina who can't dance, she lost everything important to her in one missed step. 

Uprooting her from her Manhattan apartment, and shipping her to Alabama is her mother's solution for Sylvie's unhappiness. But life might not be any more simple down south.  As it turns out, her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys that she can't stop thinking about. 

Then Sylvie starts seeing things. A girl down by the lake. A man peering into the window. And a graveyard with an oddly placed headstone. Sylvie's lost nearly everything—is she starting to lose her mind as well?"

WARNING: Contains Minor Spoilers

The Splendor Falls is another one of those books about which you don't really know what to say. One of those books that falls into so many clichés along the way but in the end there is something brilliant about them that makes you like them.

Two good words to describe this book: atmospheric and beautiful. I loved the descriptions of the South, of the archeological dig, of anthropology and folklore... of course I myself am an archeologist, so that may be why, but I like how the author always seems to incorporate the history of the land, so to speak, in her books. And how her prose seems to evoke something magical in the most simple of things, like grass, trees and a river.

I liked the story and I thought it was properly developed (not rushed as so many YA books are), but I think the author lacks a proper sense of pacing (sometimes the book was almost boring). I noticed the same problem with her other book, Texas Gothic. Both books start out ok (although I did take a while to warm up to Sylvie, this book's heroine), the pace is great at first and everything develops slowly and mysteriously enough. But then, just before you reach the most interesting part, the book speeds up and everything feels rushed. So all the plot lines, mysteries and happenings seem to have very anticlimactic resolutions.

I didn't care all that much for the romance (because it wasn't as fleshed-out as I thought it should have been). The connection between Sylvie and Rhys was badly explained and I must say I'd have liked Rhys to appear more and not be there just to be a mysterious hot guy that says "strange things are afoot" or whatever. I felt like the character wasn't well developed enough and the old "we've met in another life" part of the story was too much; I'd have preferred if they were just normal young people. Shawn was also a bit of a disappointment. Sylvie grew on me throughout the book but I never warmed up to her enough. I guess Gigi was my favorite character.

Overall, a good book within the YA paranormal romance genre. I liked reading it, but thought that like her other book, the author seems to have some pacing problems and also character development issues, especially in the 'romance department'. Her characters never seem to have very believable feelings; their motivations for doing things seem mostly false. Still, the plot was mostly good and the writing was great. Recommended.

View all my reviews

Review: Texas Gothic (Rosemary Clement-Moore)

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Publisher: Corgi (2011)
Format: Paperback | 404 pages
Genre(s): Young Adult, Urban Fantasy

Description (GR): "Amy Goodnight knows that the world isn't as simple as it seems—she grew up surrounded by household spells and benevolent ghosts. But she also understands that "normal" doesn't mix with magic, and she's worked hard to build a wall between the two worlds. Not only to protect any hope of ever having a normal life.

Ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas should be exactly that. Good old ordinary, uneventful hard work. Only, Amy and her sister, Phin, aren't alone. There's someone in the house with them—and it's not the living, breathing, amazingly hot cowboy from the ranch next door.

It's a ghost, and it's more powerful than the Goodnights and all their protective spells combined. It wants something from Amy, and none of her carefully built defenses can hold it back.

This is the summer when the wall between Amy's worlds is going to come crashing down."

After the "Morganville Vampires" marathon I was longing for something I could read and be done with. Texas Gothic, a stand alone novel about a family of witches was a good choice. It has a definite end and it's enjoyable.

I liked the book, overall, but it wasn't an outstanding read. Amy is the typical 'black sheep' of the family because while all the others are witches and psychics she is "normal" and is somewhat embarrassed when her family starts acting... witchy. Typically Amy only wants to lead a normal, non-magical life.

But when her aunt asks her and her sister Phin to take care of her ranch, Amy will find herself involved in paranormal events that will follow her... whether she wants to or not.

The mystery with the ghost was pretty typical, nothing special. I did like the way the author was developing things gradually, but then she rushed everything in the last chapters and that made the ending kind of anticlimatic and nonsensical. Amy was all bent on being a sleuth but she ended up not doing that much investigation.

I liked the chemistry between Amy and Ben, it was really good and it seemed it was also going to be a gradual sort of relationship, until it... wasn't. But hey, at least it wasn't insta-love.

I got the feeling the author was taking her time developing her story and her characters but then it was like she just got tired of writing and decided on an abrupt end, which was kind of bad. So this book could have been really entertaining, but it was just mildly interesting.

Overall, Texas Gothic was a good read. I liked the characters (Phin was my favorite, she was great), the mystery and the whole history around it was cool, and the world and story building were great at first. I really liked the fact that it involved anthropology and digs and it also mentioned how people see digging of old cemeteries. But the ending was disappointing. A recommended read for lovers of paranormal mysteries.

View all my reviews