Sweetly - Book Review

Title ~ Sweetly
Series ~ Sisters Red
Author ~ Jackson Pearce
Release Date ~ August 23, 2011
Age Group ~ Young Adult
Publisher ~ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Source ~ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

GOODREADS SUMMARY

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

REVIEW

Remember the tale of Hansel and Gretel about two children who discover a house made of candy in the woods? In Sweetly, Jackson Pearce puts her trademark slant on the original with a nice dash of creepy.

The setting is key in Sweetly. Live Oak is a Southern town with the character of a place that time has forgotten. There is a slow moving pace and routine to each day that is anything but hectic. Sophia’s cottage feels like a sweet and serine paradise hidden away deep in the woods. Oh, but there are dark secrets hidden below the surface in Live Oak. Shocking secrets.

When Ansel and Gretchen are kicked out of the house by their step mom, they land in Sophia’s cottage. Before long, Ansel is smitten by Sophia and Gretchen is crushing on the local bad boy. Something is not right though. Although she creates yummy chocolate goodies, Sophia just may have some mixed intentions.

It’s all here - killer plot, interesting characters, and intriguing setting. Sweetly is deliciously unpleasant and I devoured every bite.

RATING

5 Loved

COVER COMMENTS

Do you see it? There’s a face hidden in the tree limbs against the purple sky. And don’t miss Sophia’s cottage. Absolutely perfect!