BLOG TOUR, BOOK REVIEW - What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson

 

                                                                 BOOK DESCRIPTION

When everything you love is in danger, how long can you keep running to survive?  

Life can be brutal Winter in Idaho. The sky is dark. It is cold enough to crack bones. 

 Jack knew it 

Jack Dahl has nothing left. Except his younger brother, Matty, who he'd die for. Their mother is gone, and their funds are quickly dwindling, Jack needs to make a choice: lose his brother to foster care, or find the drug money that sent his father to prison.  

So did I 

Ava lives in isolation, a life of silence. For seventeen years her father, a merciless man, has controlled her fate. He has taught her to love no one.  Did I feel the flutter of wings when Jack and I met? Did I sense the coming tornado? But now Ava wants to break the rules - to let Jack in and open her heart. Then she discovers that Jack and her father are stalking the same money, and suddenly Ava is faced with a terrible choice: remain silent or speak out and help the brothers survive.  

Looking back, I think I did . . .  

Perfect for fans of Patrick Ness, Meg Rosoff and Daniel Woodrell, What Beauty There Is an unforgettable debut novel that is as compulsive as it is beautiful, and unflinchingly explores the power of determination, survival and love.  

'Beautifully written and superbly constructed, Anderson pulls you onto a chilling footpath of love and loss and keeps you there until you've read every last word' Ruta Sepetys, bestselling author of Between Shades of Grey

Life is packed full of decisions and choosing to take the correct path. It can also be a journey of what if's as it is in this beautifully written,fast paced,debut thriller. What if Jack hadn't decided to visit his father on the fatal day that plunged both him and his younger brother Matty's life into a battle of survival in the unforgiving wilderness of Idaho. What if Jack hadn't came to Ava's rescue that day in the school corridor and Ava hadn't decided to let Jack into her isolated life. The problem with decisions is, you never know if you have made the correct one until things start going wrong and by then it's far too late to choose a different path.

The story was voiced from the perspectives of multiple characters including Jack, Matty, Ava and Sheriff Doyle, all of whom were very likeable characters, especially Jack. The author certainly put the poor boy through the wringer a number of times, I think I spent most of the book with heightened senses of anxiety over his well being as he found himself caught up in various life threatening situations. Being a parent, I also felt a lot of anxiety over young Matty's well being as the story unfolded, he was such a innocent little boy and it was heart warming how much love there was between the two brothers. If I'm honest, I was never sure about my feelings about Ava, there were times when I liked her and times when I didn't but I did feel a lot of sympathy for her because of the way that she was treated by her controlling father. I was quite surprised that I ended up liking Sheriff Doyle because when he was first introduced into the story, he didn't come across as either likeable or trustworthy.

Each chapter started with words that were written in italics that are written from Ava's perspective. They appear as if they are extracts from a diary or as if Ava is telling the story personally to the reader.

The setting for this book was a character in its own right with its own personal character traits. The bleakness and contrasts between the ghostly silence and muffled atmosphere after a heavy snowfall, the colours caused by the sun rays reflecting off the ice and the dangers that come with the freezing temperatures, wildlife and the various other threats that are prevalent to that environment.

Wow....Just wow, this is an extremely well written, fast paced, roller coaster ride that hardly gives the reader an opportunity to breathe as you, Jack, Matty and Ava are launched from one life threatening situation to another. It's an intense, thrilling page turner that is packed full of danger that had me glued to my copy of the book, with the wonderful tree branches in the corner of each page I found myself frantically turning the pages. The secondary characters were a mixed bag of diverse, realistic individuals, many of whom were not very likeable and the story that covers a wide range of emotions and issues had a heart warming and unexpected conclusion. I would love to watch a film adaptation of this outstanding debut that is worth far more than five stars and is very very highly recommended. This is definitely going to be one of my favourite reads of this year.

                                                                        AUTHOR BIO

Cory Anderson is a winner of the League of Utah Writers Young Adult Novel Award and Grand Prize in the Storymakers Conference First Chapter Contest. She lives in Utah with her family. What Beauty There Is is her debut novel.

(Extended bio and additional author images available on her website. Link Below)

Twitter: @coryanderwrites

Website: https://coryanderson.us/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coryanderwrites/

Published: 08/04/2021

ISBN: 9780241441718

Length: 368  Pages

Dimensions: 222mm x 34mm x 144mm

Weight: 483g

RRP: £12.99

Imprint: Penguin

Amazon UK Link: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Beauty-There-Cory-Anderson/dp/0241441714/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=what+beauty+there+is&qid=1616251655&sr=8-1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44779579-what-beauty-there-is?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=cy9S5ruE50&rank=1