Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant Series: Messenger of Fear #1
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on September 23rd, 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Mystery, YA
Goodreads
Mara wakes in a field of dead grass, a heavy mist pressing down on her. She is terrified, afraid that she is dead. Then a beautiful young man dressed in black appears. He calls himself Messenger of Fear.
This boy is able to move effortlessly through space and time. He also sees the darkness in human hearts. He sees the evils done: the destructive lies, the cruelty, the bullying, the violence. And if the world does not bring justice to those who do evil, he will. He offers the wicked a game. If they win, they go free. If they lose, they will live their greatest fear. Either way, their sanity will be challenged.
It is a world of fair but harsh justice. Of retribution and redemption. And mystery. Why was Mara chosen to be the Messenger’s apprentice? What has she done to deserve this terrible fate? She won’t find out until three of the wicked receive justice. And when she does, she will be shattered.
I think it’s best to start this review with a confession. You see, even though Michael Grant is a crazy popular author and it seems like the entire YA readers community LOVES him this is my very first Grant book.
I know I know! I’ve put the entire Gone series on my TBR just to take it off, just to put it back on, just to take it off. And here’s another confession….Messenger of Fear was very blah for me.
I’m not sure how a book that started off so creepy, with such a delicious blurb wound up falling flat on its face for me! Typically I would assume it’s because I wanted more than the book could give me, and while I think that’s a part of why this went so wrong for me, I really think the pace and story itself is what really sealed that deal.
It starts with Mara waking up in a field of dead gray grass. A mist is closing in on her and she can feel it. Not in the way you would normally feel mist but as a living, thing. Creepy right?! Best start to a book right?! Can only go up from here right?!
I kept waiting and waiting for THINGS to happen but for some reason nothing did. I know that it’s the first book in the series and it has to “build” but there were all these people and peaks and hints that lead to NOTHING! I mean even when “the big reveal” happened at the end I just sort of sat there like “well no shit! We saw that coming back in chapter 5!” It just annoyed me that there was so much potential and absolutely NOTHING happened for the entire 272 pages of the book. And if that wasn’t enough Mara had a tendency to rub me the wrong way. She wasn’t annoying per se but she did this inner monoluging that just made me want to slap her. In the face. With a brick.
I will admit that I enjoyed “The Messenger” (seriously that was his name…The Messenger *face palm*). He was dark but tormented and you would have to be a flying idiot not to see that goodness that was inside of him (hint hint Mara!).
It’s actually funny my review turned out to be so ranty because when I finished I felt nothing. Not negative, not positive, not happy it was over. I was void of all emotion and basically just shrugged and picked up a different book. I guess now I see I really didn’t like this one, and I’ll have a hard time going to grab book #2.
