Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre Series: Immortal Game #1
Published by Feiwel & Friends on August 5th, 2014
Genres: Mythology, YA
Goodreads
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn't imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She's not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he's impossible to forget.
In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly... bad things are happening. It's a heady rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil's bargains, she isn't sure who—or what--she can trust. Not even her own mind...
I want to come clean about something before I start my Mortal Danger gushing review. You see I’m very lucky to receive an email from MacMillan every so often with their upcoming releases, and have free reign to pick which ARC’s I’d like to receive and review. It’s basically a book nerds wet dream to be honest and when I received their fall catalogue a few months ago I read the blurb to Mortal Danger, goodreads’d it and looked at the hype then shrugged and passed it up. It’s not that the book didn’t sound good. I just wasn’t convinced it would work for me. Obviously, by the 5 stars above, I was totally WRONG.
Aguirre has a beautifully sick and twisted mind that kept me in the same spot on my couch for a solid 5 hours. The characters, the plot, THE WRITING, was all amazingly done and while I know this book didn’t work for a lot of people I’m very pleased to say I’m happy to be the black sheep in that respect.
The story starts off with Edie and a bridge. A bridge she is ready to jump off. A bridge that she hopes, will end all the pain and torture she’s been through thanks to her shit head classmates. And at the point on the bridge, ready to end it all Kian shows up and offers her a deal. Don’t go through with the suicide and he will offer her 3 favors. Anything she can image. But, like most great things it will come at a price. In return Edie is bond to return 3 favors to Kian’s boss (one scary SOB, but more on him later maybe). From here we are thrust into a world of revenge, deceit and scary ass beings from wherever the hell. Edie uses her first wish to become the pretties version of herself. Now before you jump in with the, “wow that’s shallow” commentary let me nip that in the bud.
Edie, is brilliant. I’m not talking, oh she’s so smart in a book world, way. I mean DAAAAMMMN she’s smart in any world, kind of way. With parents who are groundbreaking physicist professors obviously some of that has rubbed off. But with that intellect, came the early life lessons that your looks are nothing compared to the brain between your ears. Edie knows this and understands this and I love how even when she had her “make over” her looks weren’t her concern. Revenge was.
But while that revenge is what gave the story it’s initial push what kept it going was the evil, gripping and totally unpredictable game that was being played all along. I will not go into the game or the players, that would take away from this fabulous story in my opinion and you must experience it in it’s entirety. What I will do is ease some of your fears. I know you’ve seen a fair share of not so stellar reviews, and I know everyone’s opinion is different and valuable. But let me tell you where some of my difference in opinion comes in.
“This book is solely about looks! It has a horrible message”
Edie reached a breaking point and was in the process of taking her own life when fate intervened. She had been pushed, bullied, RECORDED and wronged by a group of rich gorgeous idiots at her school. Edie took her favor of “being pretty” not as a way to fit in better, or be liked by the cool crew, but as a way to gain access. Gain trust. Gain ground. And then rip them limb from limb from the inside. This makeover wasn’t about Edie trying to be pretty and throw away her brain! It was about putting that brain to use will dismantling a horrid crew. Yes there was commentary about how being pretty had it’s advantages. People were nicer to you, it was easier to persuade people and people wanted to be around. All things we know to be absolutely true. There’s more to people than outwards appearances. Just ask Brittany. *insert evil smile*
“It’s so slow!!”
I’m kind of lost on this one. I sat in the same spot for HOURS completely wrapped in this book. Yeah I wanted to know what was happening and WHY. I wanted to know who to trust and who to burn at the stake. I wanted to watch the suffering that was sure to come. But with each page I learned the plot hadn’t even revealed itself! There was so much going on beyond the surface and I know that trend will continue in the books to come.
At the end of the day I really can’t say enough fantastic things about this book. I’ve been in such a YA funk lately and this was just the brain shattering book I needed to get back to my love of YA.
