REVIEW: Devoured

Devoured by Amanda Marrone
Pages: 304- US Paperback Edition
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: September 22nd, 2009
My Rating: 3/5
Book Summary: Megan’s twin sister Remy died in an accident nine years ago, and she’s been haunting her ever since. Knowing how crazy that sounds, Megan keeps this secret to herself and tries to lead a normal life. But when she takes a summer job at Land of Enchantment to keep an eye on her new boyfriend and his lovesick best friend, Samantha, she meets fellow employee Luke who can see Remy, too. Things get even twistier because Megan’s new friend Ari is sporting a massive crush on Luke, who seems to be developing a massive crush on Megan…making for a love triangle that’s positively possessed. Megan wants to keep her distance from Luke, but when Remy’s visions get crazy violent; she knows she needs his help. Because someone’s definitely in danger...the only question is who?


My Thoughts:
        Okay, first of all, First Review post and I am super excited! (Imagine Jazz Hands) Okay so here we go! I read Devoured in about 2 and a half days, which is my average when I am working, and I must say I am kind of struggling in what exactly I should say. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it (hence the 3 rating). I recently reconnected with Amanda Marrone, after reading her chilling Uninvited many years ago and I still love her writing. She knows exactly how to write from a teenager’s point of view, I was highly impressed with how realistic the dialogue was between Megan and her mother.


When I read, if I can’t emotionally connect or feel sympathetic for the main character in the first chapter then I’m ruined for the rest of the book and I develop this negative attitude towards the character and can’t feel sorry for her.  Unfortunately, that is what happened with Megan. Within the first couple pages of me getting to know her, I found her dry and uninteresting. One upside of Megan that I did enjoy was her totally obvious disdain for her boyfriend’s friend, Samantha, which I found hilarious.  Everyone has experienced the threat of opposite sex friendship in relationships, and Amanda Marrone got the emotions on point.

The saving grace in the story which is what turned my whole opinion around is what drew me to the book in the first place, the plot. Don’t get me wrong, I love all paranormal books but my absolute weakness is a great ghost story. Megan’s interaction with her dead twin sister, Remy, just about broke my heart. With a few simple words, Amanda Marrone showcased Megan’s torture in losing her sister and her obvious frustration/confusion on why her sister is still roaming the earth. The parts where Remy appeared to Megan chilled me to the point where I caught myself sinking down in my bed and further under my covers.

So if you are like me a crave a great ghost story and dig Amanda Marrone, I’d say you should go ahead and read it. It’s a quick read and overall a decent story. I might have not connected with Megan or any of the other characters but I still enjoyed the suspense and got spooked at the ghost parts, which is really all I need to satisfy my ghost craving. Oh also I forgot, there are some pretty awesome references to the classic fairy tale, Snow White, which is a fav of mine. I love fairy tales and incorporating them into modern day books is something I am all about. If only there were more…