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A review by wynne_ronareads
House of Sand and Secrets by Cat Hellisen
4.0
First off let me see this book PHYSICALLY was very strange. I bought it on Amazon, and the cover seems unfinished, the type face inside is different sizes and there are tons of grammatical errors. It seems like an unfinished copy, and yet all of the publishing info on the inside doesn't indicate this. Weird. Kind of distracting.
Thank goodness for Cat Hellisen's continued talent at world building and believable heroines. I have to admit, since the finale of the first book ("When the Sea is Rising Red") was slightly confusing, I didn't remember as much as I would've liked going into this one. Felicita and the vampire Jannik are now married, in as loveless of a marriage as could possibly be arranged. I felt this was strange, since Felicita was so naturally drawn to Jannik in the first novel. Their feelings of safety and where they stand in the social realm of things has put an enormous strain on any attempts at a relationship. Because as much as they bristle at the idea of falling into society's hierarchical trap, they must in order to survive.
The MallenIve houses are slightly more...underbelly? Shall we say? Wives do scriv and poisonink while their husbands are engaging in sexual fetishes with the vampire sect they claim to hate so much. In fact I think what makes Hellisen's world building so wonderful is that she takes familiar aspects from the "real world" and adapts them to that of a fantasy one. There are still whore houses and celebrities, they are just vampire "rooks" and wealthy male witches. It's easy to understand because it's something we already know.
When vampires start to turn up dead with their faces literally removed, Felicita knows that her position and her life (as well as those of her husband and few friends) are in jeopardy. As they race against the clock for answers, Felicita and Jannik are inevitably pushed closer together. Watching their relationship change is natural and realistic and I CANNOT TOOT THE HORN LOUD ENOUGH! FINALLY a YA author who knows how to treat the topic of sex with her female lead.
SO MANY young adult authors tip toe around it, afraid to even breathe the "S word" for fear it may inspire legions of their female readers to run off and procreate. Heaven forbid we remind young women that sexual desires, feelings and parts of ourselves are NORMAL and HEALTHY and IMPERATIVE to understanding who we are as people. Hellisen allows Felicita to acknowledge and explore her sexual feelings without the tired "safety net" of virginity, marriage or abstinence. It reads beautifully and most importantly--realistically.
The story ends in a satisfying way, the mystery treated with dignity but also no obvious conclusions. There is still more ways for Hellisen to take the story further, and because I enjoy her characters, trust her plots and enjoy her writing, I'm up for whatever she has next. Even if the font is in multiple sizes.
Thank goodness for Cat Hellisen's continued talent at world building and believable heroines. I have to admit, since the finale of the first book ("When the Sea is Rising Red") was slightly confusing, I didn't remember as much as I would've liked going into this one. Felicita and the vampire Jannik are now married, in as loveless of a marriage as could possibly be arranged. I felt this was strange, since Felicita was so naturally drawn to Jannik in the first novel. Their feelings of safety and where they stand in the social realm of things has put an enormous strain on any attempts at a relationship. Because as much as they bristle at the idea of falling into society's hierarchical trap, they must in order to survive.
The MallenIve houses are slightly more...underbelly? Shall we say? Wives do scriv and poisonink while their husbands are engaging in sexual fetishes with the vampire sect they claim to hate so much. In fact I think what makes Hellisen's world building so wonderful is that she takes familiar aspects from the "real world" and adapts them to that of a fantasy one. There are still whore houses and celebrities, they are just vampire "rooks" and wealthy male witches. It's easy to understand because it's something we already know.
When vampires start to turn up dead with their faces literally removed, Felicita knows that her position and her life (as well as those of her husband and few friends) are in jeopardy. As they race against the clock for answers, Felicita and Jannik are inevitably pushed closer together. Watching their relationship change is natural and realistic and I CANNOT TOOT THE HORN LOUD ENOUGH! FINALLY a YA author who knows how to treat the topic of sex with her female lead.
SO MANY young adult authors tip toe around it, afraid to even breathe the "S word" for fear it may inspire legions of their female readers to run off and procreate. Heaven forbid we remind young women that sexual desires, feelings and parts of ourselves are NORMAL and HEALTHY and IMPERATIVE to understanding who we are as people. Hellisen allows Felicita to acknowledge and explore her sexual feelings without the tired "safety net" of virginity, marriage or abstinence. It reads beautifully and most importantly--realistically.
The story ends in a satisfying way, the mystery treated with dignity but also no obvious conclusions. There is still more ways for Hellisen to take the story further, and because I enjoy her characters, trust her plots and enjoy her writing, I'm up for whatever she has next. Even if the font is in multiple sizes.