Mini Review: The Innocents by Lili Peloquin

Friday, January 31, 2014

Title: The Innocents
Author: Lili Peloquin
Publisher: Razorbill
Publish Date: October 16, 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Mystery
Pages: 259
Source: Publisher

Nothing ever came between sisters Alice and Charlie. Friends didn't. Boys couldn't. Their family falling apart never would. Until they got to Serenity Point.

In a town built on secrets and lies, it's going to be hard to stay innocent. They're sucked into a strange and seductive world—a world they can't help but hate, and can't help but love. A world that threatens to tear them apart, just when they need each other the most.
I was instantly captivated by the premise of The Innocents because it was touted as a true gothic mystery for the younger crowd. And, surprisingly enough, I wasn't disappointed in that regard. The mystery, itself, was surprisingly well put-together, and I found that I actually enjoyed - and was stumped by - several of the puzzle pieces that made up the novel. I also must say that Lili Peloquin has a beautiful writing style. A third person novel often makes it difficult to truly get to know your characters, but the voices she lent to each one were distinct, original and personable. Furthermore, Ms. Peloquin's prose has an easy, flowing sort of feel, which makes it easy to rapidly become invested in the mystery. 

I must say, however, that I struggled a good bit with many of the characters. Of the twins, Alice and Charlie, Alice was by far the more approachable of the two. She was much more demure, while Charlie often erred on the side of being a tumultuous, self-centered brat. I also felt a bit of a disconnect with the love interests, Tommy and Jude. Both felt a bit flat and one-dimensional to me, and Jude's arrogance left me feeling quite embittered. It made it very difficult for me to want to read more about their respective romantic arcs throughout the novel.

Overall, The Innocents was a quick and fun read - though not altogether imperfect. It definitely succeeded far more in the realm of mystery than in the romantic or character-driven aspects of the novel. It is the start of a series, however, and though I rather enjoyed it as a whole, I'm not sure I am actually invested enough to continue the story. I give it a 3 out of 5, and I recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy a good, fun mystery.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion of this book.

7 comments:

  1. Gorgeous writing counts for a lot but you lose a lot if you can't connect with the characters. I've seen this one around & wondered about it!

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  2. Since there are so many books out there, I would have to leave this one on the shelf. Especially if you aren't going to read the next book. Glad you were so honest!

    Heather

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  3. I don't think this is for me, especially as characters are usually the most important part of any story for me. I'm glad you did enjoy it, for the most part, Melissa! Yet another lovely review! :)

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  4. Glad you enjoyed it even though it's targeted at a younger audience, I always enjoy books that are full of mystery. I would need good characters too to keep me entertained, unfortunately the ones here sound kind of bland. And yeah, a romance just for a sake of it doesn't really appeal to me. Thanks for your lovely review Mel!

    Jeann @ Happy Indulgence

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  5. I like the sound of the mystery. It seems like it's well-written. I haven't heard much about this book, but you've definitely piqued my interest. It's a shame about the love interests being one-dimensional though.
    Lovely review.

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  6. I've not heard a lot about The Innocents (at least that I can remember), but I'm not particularly intrigued. It seems like an interesting enough premise, but I still think it wouldn't be my type of thing. Still, I'm glad it didn't wind up disappointing you too much!

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  7. Hmm, I haven't read a whole lot of reviews for this one but Charlie does sound rather unlikable.

    Fab review! <33

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