Readiculously Peachy: Book Review: Paint My Body Red by Heidi R. Kling + Amazing Giveaway!

My Rating:

Book: Paint My Body Red

Author: Heidi R. Kling

Page Numbers: 350 pages

Publication date: November 2nd, 2015

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014PDW76M/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B014PDW76M&linkCode=as2&tag=readiculoupea-20&linkId=7C54P4M5PDBIBLSM

Synopsis:

The world isn't just black or white. Sometimes it's red... They think I'm next. That I'll be the seventh kid to step in front of a train and end my life. With the rash of suicides at my school, Mom's shipped me off to my dad's Wyoming ranch for “my own safety.” They think I’m just another depressed teenager whose blood will end up on the tracks. They don't know my secrets...or what I’ve done. I wasn't expecting Dad to be so sick, for the ranch I loved to be falling to bits, or for Jake—the cute boy I knew years ago—to have grown into a full-fledged, hot-as-hell cowboy. Suddenly, I don't want to run anymore, but the secrets from home have found me...even here. And this time, it's up to me to face them—and myself—if I want to live...

My Review:

I received a copy through the YA Bound Book Tour to read and review in return.

Paint My Body Red is unlike any book I have ever read. This book has so much emotion, symbolism and character, I could not keep my thoughts away from it, even when I was forced to do something else than reading and soaking myself into the story. Ms. Kling is such a talented writer! She possesses the powerful talent to keep the reader consistently immersed into the story on a whole different level, making the reader connect with each and every character, as if they we're your own best friend, lover, or dearest family member.

The story starts off somber, where we meet our main character, Paige, to be at her most vulnerable state. We know something terrible happened to her but Ms. Kling is reluctant to portray this straight away to the reader. This kept me hooked throughout the entire book. What happened to Paige? Why is she in such a horrible emotional place, where her mother feels the desperate need to fly her off to Wyoming, to her father's ranch. We quickly find out that Paige will not only be leaving her sunny home in California, leaving behind the grime and somberness of her past, to save her self, but also for reasons which the reader could have never expected.

Once Paige arrives at her fathers ranch, she meets the perfect, charming and handsome cowboy named Jake. I absolutely LOVED his character. His old fashion charms and chivalry was not overdone and totally worked alongside with Paige's city-slickin' mentality. Their connection seemed so genuine and very well paced. The longer Paige stayed on the ranch, more memories of her past started to appear of when she grew up on the ranch and why she left in the first place.

Ms. Kling writes the story in Paige's perspective, shifting the chapters from Now (the present) to Then, (the past), slowly feeding the reader bits and pieces of the puzzle, forming Paige's tragedy and reasoning on why she ended up the way she did. This way of story-telling worked so well and it was that which kept me flying through the pages, eager to know what would happen next. We quickly find out then in the Then, hence the past, that Paige went through traumatic events where her fellow classmates dropped like flies, committing suicides for reasons which initially seems unclear to everyone. Paige resorts to bad actions, involving her stepbrother Ty, in order to feel emotions, in order to feel alive. I quickly had the feeling (and no doubt, Ms. Kling had a very clever way in portraying this through the ambiance of the story) that these actions were going to lead to devastating consequences.

I cannot stress enough on how much I loved this book. I did not want it to end. I absolutely loved Ms. Kling's way of writing and I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for any other books she plans on publishing. I definitely recommend this book to any YA reader who is looking further than just a paranormal fictional YA story; who is ready to indulge themselves in a roller coaster of emotions and suspense, not knowing where the ride will eventually end. Bravo Ms. Kling, bravo!

About the Author

Heidi Kling writes fantasy novels set in a contemporary world and contemporary novels about girls in fantastic situations. The bestselling Spellspinners series (Coliloquy/Vook), is 9-book series leading with Witch's Brew. The Gleaning, Devil's Frost and Beautiful Monster are out now with more adventures to follow. Her debut contemporary, Sea (Penguin), was an IndieNext Pick, Northern California Book of the Year nominee, Gateway Reader’s Award choice and Scholastic Readers Pick. Her forthcoming contemporary novel, Paint My Body Red, launches with Entangled Teen Fall, 2015.

Told in dual narratives, several more installments are planned in this "Romeo and Juliet with magic" series readers compare to stories by LJ Smith, Cassandra Clare and Melissa de la Cruz.

After earning her MFA in Writing for Children from the New School, she returned to her native California. She lives with her husband, two children and the cutest accidental puppy mix ever, Sailor Lily, just over the coastal mountains from the sea.

Author Links:

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