Publisher: Puffin
Format: ARC
Published: 10th May 2012
Number of Pages: 288
Book: For Review*
Genre: Contemporary, Realistic-Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Thriller, Suspense, Horror, YA, YA-Adult Crossover
Recommended
Age: 14+
Contains: Violence, Swearing, Smoking, Alcohol, Sexual Assault Reference
No Drug References
No Drug References
Author's
Blog: Louisa Reid
Hephzibah
You have no
idea what it’s like having a freak for a sister.
Rebecca
Born first,
prettier, Hephzi’s always been the more popular one.
The Father
When he was
busy with his bottle we were usually safe.
Usually.
The Mother
Her
specialist subject was misery and lessons of painful silence…
Hephzibah and Rebecca are twins.
On beautiful, on disfigured.
Trapped with their loveless parents, they dream of
a normal life. But when one twin
tragically dies the other must find a way to escape. Because if she doesn’t she’ll end up like her
sister…
Review:
The day after reading this, I went to the
cinema. I was going to see a great film, one I really loved. But I
kept thinking about Black Heart Blue.
I could not get it out of my
head. That was a few weeks ago now. And it's still just as much in
my head now as it was the second is finished it. That there is the sign
of an amazing book…
Hephzibah and Rebecca are twins.
Hephzi is bold, beautiful and confident.
Rebecca is quiet, always living in her
sister's shadow.
Now Hephzi is gone and Rebecca is all alone,
alone with the lies and the secrets and abuse.
Rebecca has to escape her dreadful and
prison-like home - before she shares her sister's fate...
I'm sure you all know by now that I love contemps. I knew this would
be a very powerful read… What I wasn’t
expecting was the pain I felt, the lump that was constantly in my throat, the
tears in my eyes. This was a seriously
dark book but somehow it was also so full of hope. Nonetheless, I felt my heart break a million
times as I felt completely in love with both twins and hated The Parents with
everything I had. This was not a light
read. It will mess with your emotions,
your head, your heart, it will grip you from the very first page and never let
you go. And even once you’ve finished
and started a new book; it won’t leave your head or heart.
And yes.
It is seriously that absolutely, breaktakingly good.
The characters just stole the show for
me. They were all so amazingly real.
Brave, vibrant Hephzi, who was so alive and desperate for freedom, but
needed her sister more than anything.
Rebecca was broken inside and also the strongest person ever. As I heard her history, it just broke my
heart: she was so sweet and pure and strong and I loved her so, so much. The bond between the two of them was amazing
too: so real, they trusted the other with their life and this bond stretched
beyond the grave. And while it had
characters I loved so, so much, it also had some I hated equally. Namely The Father: I could have physically murdered him, even though he’s
fictional. And the Mother was almost as
bad. Their family was suffocating and
full of terror, fear, pain and endless violence. It made my skin crawl – and made me love Reb
and Hephzi even more.
Some of the supporting characters were
amazing too – Danny in particular, and his wonderful family. They reminded me that not everyone are atrocious
people like The Father, that there are truly good people too.
The writing was incredible: it was split
between Hephzi and Rebecca, switching between them, and they both sounded so
different. The writing was haunting, beautiful, suspenseful and just
amazing. Which brings us to the incredible and horrible plot. One twin told us about “Before” and the other about “After”. Having the look at "After" made me desperate to find out what happened. I couldn't put Black Heart Blue down; I was so wrapped
up in the story. I knew much of what happened would be bad, but I never
saw any of it coming. Amazing…
The themes in this were really, really
dark. Reid tackled some seriously tricky
issues with grace, really getting into my head and making me think, but without
making me want to stop reading. This
book just really got inside me head and heart.
Just like Rebecca, this is “a
story inscribed hard on my heart”.
And the emotions were even stronger: nonstop
and overwhelming. They hit so hard it
hurt. Overwhelming emotions you could
just drown in. I felt every single thing the girls felt. Yes, this book will shock you, scare you and
touch you more than you ever thought possible.
You will be so overwhelmed by emotions – hate, fear, pain, love, hope –
that you will think you are about to drown in it all. And you will love Every. Single. Second.
Scary vampires are fun and I can deal with,
because they’re not real. But Black Heart Blue… I knew that somewhere,
maybe nearer than I’d like to think, this was happening to someone. A girl getting hit by her father, mother, a
boy being beaten, a house suffocating with fear. This is why books such as this are worse than
any kind of horror story. They’re the real horror
stories…
With a house controlled by an abusive
father and two girls trying desperately to escape, Black Heart Blue was a book that broke my heart while making me
hope til it hurt. This was one of the
most powerful books I’ve ever read; a book that left me breathless and shaken
up inside. I still haven’t gotten it out
of my head. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get it out of my head. Louisa Reid wrote a stunning debut that I’ll
never forget. I honestly can’t recommend
this book enough.
Beautiful. Horrible.
Unforgettable. I don’t think I’ll
ever forget this story. Ever.
Star Rating:
5 Out of 5
5 Out of 5
Read this
book if you liked:
Challenges
It's Taking Part In:
Happy Reading
Megan
* This
book was received from Penguin in exchange for an honest review
Emotions you could drown in...omg this sounds good! Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteKimba: It really, really was!! I can't recommend it enough if I'm honest!
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued by the synopsis, and now I'm convinced by your review that I have to read this! It's definitely true that you know you've read an amazing book when you finish it and you feel like you've absorbed it into you and can't stop thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteCatherine :)
TheBookParade
Really enjoyed this book, liked the way many events had both sisters views, their complex relationship with so many secrets.
ReplyDeleteZia
You won't believe this Senior Living Seattle
Iv read this book a few times since I was 12 years old,I’m not much of a bookworm but this book is by far the best book I have ever read.
ReplyDelete