Velveteen was a book that I've been eying since it came out. The title is unique, the cover is gorgeous, and the synopsis sounded so intriguing. Unfortunately, the book wasn't a hit with me.

Velveteen is a sixteen year old girl who was murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. She's got some serious hate towards this man and wants to make him pay. But, she has ended up in purgatory and there's bigger issues going on. Something is jeopardizing the stability (or what stability there is) in purgatory, and Velveteen is going to help fix it.

The story itself sounds so intriguing but the writing style didn't match with me. There was lots of world building and characters talking but not a lot of plot movement. It also sounded like there was going to be some kind of revenge towards Bonesaw (which is the most intriguing part of the whole book) but it fell flat. There was so much going on. If the book had been more focused, I think it would have worked so much better. Also, Velveteen and the way she narrates... it seems so off for a woman who has been killed as a teenager. It just felt so off.

Overall, the book didn't do it for me. I'm sad because I really wanted it to! Alas, not all books will.

One out of five stars. ( )

Dark plot

Also I dont know how to shelve this. Urban fantasy?

Makes me think of
The Pretty Reckless-Makes me wanna die

Let's get this out right at the beginning. I love Velveteen Monroe. She's strong, borderline inappropriate the majority of the time, and has a mouth on her that made me crack up laughing. Trust me, this is not a girl you want to mess with. Velveteen was my favorite part of this book, hands down. From the very first page I fell in total love with her tough demeanor and her ability to think outside of herself. Velveteen is cool. There's no other way to say it.

Now in case you're going into this book thinking that you'll be hearing about her ultimate revenge against Bonesaw, let me set you straight. The synopsis is definitely misleading. Velveteen does touch on this a little bit (and it's really gory), but mostly focuses on what Purgatory is really like. Honestly? It's a pretty amazing place. Daniel Marks creates a world where the dead go when they aren't ready to move on. A world filled with mismatched clothing and buildings. A world where souls can rest when they're not taking care of important business. It is Purgatory that is really the center of the book.

What I really loved about this book was the interaction between the living at the dead. Watching Velveteen and her "Salvagers" do their work was really interesting, and made for a fun read. Add in a fast moving plot that pits the people in Purgatory against one another, and you have a book that kept me reading. Velveteen may not have been what I was expecting, but it was definitely still a really great read. Best of all (at least in my mind) is that the romance is not over the top mushy. No spoilers, but what exists between Velveteen and Nick is fabulous. That's all you'll get from me.

There are some very graphic scenes in this book, you've been warned. This is not for the faint of heart. However if you are willing to snicker at a few inappropriately morbid jokes, and suspend disbelief in favor of hanging with Velveteen and her crew, this will be a book that you'll enjoy. Go into it with an open mind. I'm certain that you'll find something to love about Daniel Marks' Purgatory. ( )

Finally! I’ve finally read Velveteen. I wanted to read it for so long but it took me forever to get my hands on it because none of the bookstores in my area seemed to have it.

It was definitely worth the wait. I absolutely loved it. I honestly loved every single thing about this book. It didn’t have one single thing I didn’t like.

Make sure you pick this one up if you haven’t already. You wont regret it. ( )

DNF

This review is painful to write. You know I'm a cover lover. I love pretty covers, and this book has an amazing cover. (I know, I've said cover one too many times, sorry). But it is pretty. Dark and mysterious. And I like the idea that only the title is colored.

Then there's the blurb and I loved the idea of a ghost getting to avenge their death. I thought that haunting (and maybe hunting) a serial killer was a great subject.

Then I started reading it. Halfway through the book I realized that it had nothing to do with what the blurb had said. That's sad. I mean, why write a blurb for a story that's totally different in reality? I was really put off by that. I felt a little...well, cheated might be a harsh word, but there you go.

The one thing that really made me give up reading was the language. I'm no prude. I have a bad mouth on a good day. But I'm not a pre-teen. They talked badly and then there was this entire "trend" with yelling, snapping, screaming or loud talking going on. I felt screamed at by characters.

I'm actually very sorry I didn't get to finish this book. I liked the concept and the idea of someone not good enough to get into Heaven, but not fit to be in Hell either. Though I wonder what makes a kid not fit for Heaven. I would've wanted to see that. Or maybe see Velvet get revenge and drive her killer mad or something.