Book Review & Giveaway: Sweet Unrest

Sweet Unrest

By: Lisa Maxwell

Published By: Flux

Publication Date: October 8, 2014

Page Count: 336

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, The Book Despository, or Flux

Source: ARC Kindly Provided by Publisher via NetGalley

Audience: Young Adult - Paranormal

I'm excited to be the tour stop today for Lisa Maxwell's Sweet Unrest Tour!

I was drawn to this one because of the southern gothic vibe that I got from the cover and summary. I went to New Orleans for the first time a few summers ago and every since I have been captivated by the city. It is one of those places were its possible to believe that the impossible could exist. It is the perfect setting for Lisa Maxwell's gothic tale that is laced with forbidden romance, dark magic, and murder most foul.

Lucy Aimes is less than pleased that she will be spending the summer before her senior year hundreds of miles from her home in Chicago. Her history geek parents have given up their lives in the Windy City to run a living history museum outside of New Orleans on an old plantation. As Lucy and her family settle into their new lives in Louisiana, she cannot help but hope that after a summer of being an intern with impeccable behavior, her parents will see reason and let her return to Chicago for the school year. Living with her aunt isn't perfect, but it's certainly better than battling humidity and mosquitoes.

Lucy meets Chloe soon after settling in and is introduced to the world of Voodoo. Lucy tries to reconcile the way she's always believed with the new ideas she's exposed to in Louisiana. I felt like her reaction was realistic. Most people who are exposed to new cultures often have some trouble accepting components that vary from their own. 

I enjoyed Maxwell's take on souls and love transcending space and time. I don't want to speak too much on the paranormal aspects of this one, but I loved it. It was an interesting way to take old concepts and put a new spin on them. I particularly liked Lucy's dreams and how they impacted her present.

My only complaint is the pacing. I had some trouble settling into this one, but the later twists and turns made it all worth it.

Sweet Unrest is an atmospheric dark mystery that is perfect for the Halloween season. 

One Last Gripe: I did have some trouble buying the romance at first.

Favorite Thing About This Book: I liked all of the history components.

First Sentence: My parents met during the battle of Clarksville.

Favorite Character: Alex

Least Favorite Character: Thisbe

Summary:

Lucy Aimes has always been practical. But try as she might, she can’t come up with a logical explanation for the recurring dreams that have always haunted her. Dark dreams. Dreams of a long-ago place filled with people she shouldn’t know…but does.

When her family moves to a New Orleans plantation, Lucy’s dreams become more intense, and her search for answers draws her reluctantly into the old city’s world of Voodoo and mysticism. There, Lucy finds Alex, a mysterious boy who behaves as if they’ve known each other forever. Lucy knows Alex is hiding something, and her rational side doesn’t want to be drawn to him. But she is.

As she tries to uncover Alex’s secrets, a killer strikes close to home, and Lucy finds herself ensnared in a century-old vendetta. With the lives of everyone she loves in danger, Lucy will have to unravel the mystery of her dreams before it all comes to a deadly finish.

About The Author

Lisa Maxwell is the author of Sweet Unrest (Flux, Fall 2014) and Heartless Things (Simon Pulse, Spring 2016). She has a PhD in English, and when she's not writing books, she’s a professor at a local college. She lives near DC with her very patient husband and two not-so patient boys.

Twitter: @LisaMaxwellYA 

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