Review: Vendetta (Blood for Blood #1) by Catherine Doyle
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Series: Blood for Blood #1
Author: Catherine Doyle
Published January 1st 2015 by Chicken House Ltd
Goodreads Synopsis
When it comes to revenge, love is a dangerous complication.With a fierce rivalry raging between two warring families, falling in love is the deadliest thing Sophie could do. An epic debut set outside modern-day Chicago.
When five brothers move into the abandoned mansion in her neighbourhood, Sophie Gracewell's life changes forever. Irresistibly drawn to bad boy Nicoli, Sophie finds herself falling into a criminal underworld governed by powerful families. As the boys' dark secrets begin to come to light, Sophie is confronted with stinging truths about her own family, too. She must choose between two warring dynasties - the one she was born into, and the one she is falling in love with. When she does, blood will spill and hearts will break.
Goodreads
Review
I first read this book not long after it was released last January, and immediately fell in love with Doyle's writing. I was lucky enough to win a copy from the publisher, and jumped at the chance to re-read it again.
Vendetta is set in modern Chicago, in a neighbourhood outside the city. Sophie has lived there all her life, and after her father is arrested for manslaughter, she has to deal with a certain amount of notoriety. She's relieved that it is now summer, even if it means she'll be working at her family's diner every day. One day, a new family come into town, and move into the abandoned Priestly house. What makes the new family even more intriguing is the fact that there are 5 boys, each as mysterious as the other. As Sophie grows closer to one, Nic, she learns things about both their families that knocks her world. Basically, think Romeo and Juliet, without the whole suicide-y bit.
Sophie was amazing, and not just because she has a fab name ;). She's the type of character that everyone wants to read about. Yeah, she's slightly naive, and makes bad decisions at times, but she grows as a character so much. She deals with everything that was thrown at her in the best way, and she made the book what it was. Without her, it would be nowhere near as enjoyable as it was.
The romance was so unbelievably swoony! Nic seems perfect for Sophie, though he isn't the guy I personally prefer - that would be Luca. Even though its bordering on a love triangle, I actually liked both romances, and didn't mind reading either. I just felt like Luca and Sophie's chemistry was out of this world, and can't wait to read Inferno; hopefully there'll be a lot more swooniness in that book.
The plot just brought everything that I loved together, and made it utter perfection! I've never exactly been a fan of Shakespeare, particularly not of Romeo and Juliet, but this kinda made me a fan of the original. It was an adaptation, that wasn't only and adaptation. Yeah, it may have similar aspects to Romeo and Juliet, but that was just the bare bones. Doyle turned the classic into a truly modern story, one that I think all audiences will love. The idea of forbidden romance and warring families is not new, but it seemed wholly unique in Vendetta.
If you haven't guessed by now, I'd recommend this book every single time. It's a UKYA that should be a classic, and everyone should just read it, okay? I should have read its sequel, Inferno, by the time this is published, and I'm dying to find out how Sophie, et al., deal with the fall out of this book. Vendetta deserves all the stars!
Dates Read:
December 11-13, 2015
Rating
5 Stars
December 11-13, 2015
Rating
5 Stars
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