Book Review: Warped by Maurissa Guibord

Warped by Maurissa Guibord

Release Date: January 11, 2011
Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons  

Pages: 352

Received: Library

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 

Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads:

Tessa doesn't believe in magic. Or Fate. But there's something weird about the dusty unicorn tapestry she discovers in a box of old books. She finds the creature woven within it compelling and frightening. After the tapestry comes into her possession, Tessa experiences dreams of the past and scenes from a brutal hunt that she herself participated in. When she accidentally pulls a thread from the tapestry, Tessa releases a terrible centuries old secret. She also meets William de Chaucy, an irresistible 16th-century nobleman. His fate is as inextricably tied to the tapestry as Tessa's own. Together, they must correct the wrongs of the past. But then the Fates step in, making a tangled mess of Tessa's life. Now everyone she loves will be destroyed unless Tessa does their bidding and defeats a cruel and crafty ancient enemy.

Review

Disclaimer

I read this book the week my dog died so I was pretty out of it. It would have taken a 5 star book to pull me out of my head and into the book and, unfortunately, Warped wasn’t up to the task. My enjoyment was a 3 star rating, but I’m pretty sure I would have enjoyed it more (though not completely) in other circumstances so I’m bumping it up to a 3.5. I contemplated not even reviewing this one, but I decided to do a shorter review instead.

I want more than what I got

So much of this book was so close to being magical, but it just missed the mark. The plot was good and fun, but it never fully captured my interest. I loved the parts set inside the tapestry and in the past, but the scenes set in modern times seemed to lack a certain spark. Unfortunately, most of the book takes place in modern times and we’re only given tantalizingly brief glimpses into the past.

The pacing was ok with things moving along but never feeling rushed. I would have liked maybe a little more actual action, but this level of action would have been fine if I had connected with the characters more. While it seems like a unicorn book, it isn’t really. At least, not how I was expecting.

The main character Tessa was just ok for me. She didn’t irritate me, but she didn’t endear herself to me either. She just seemed bland. I felt like I never really got to know her and as a result she’s largely forgettable (very low score on the WWMCD test). Almost my entire positive and lasting impressions of her come from the flashbacks to the past, though the connection between her lives felt underdeveloped and a little confusing. Her best friend seemed like a much more dynamic character.

Will was better, and I admit I did find him charmingly attractive, but there was also something that kept me from completely swooning. I’m not sure what it is. He has all the right features that should leave me in a puddle, but…he felt a little underdeveloped? Something pretty major happens to him, but I don’t think the impact of this even is really reflected on his personality as much as it should have been.

The book is told in the third person, but follows Tessa’s perspective. Perhaps if the book had been written in the first person with Tessa narrating I might have felt more connected to her. I felt so distant from her and her emotions. Since Will is shown primarily through Tessa’s eyes, I think also I felt disconnected from him because I felt so disconnected from Tessa.

All is not lost

Where Tessa is a shadow of a character, the Norn were overflowing with mythical realism. The Norn, or the Fates, are the three beings who create, weave, and sever the threads of life. Their scenes were striking in their vivid imagery and characterization. For me, they stole the show. Fans of myths and fairy tales will probably appreciate Guibord’s handling of these scenes. Even her writing style shifts to create a timeless and mythical feel. Whereas I have a very hazy image of Tessa, the Norn are crystal clear in my mind.

I found the villain in the story equally fascinating. Her back story makes her a much more developed and human character than Tessa. I felt compassion for her, while still fully recognizing and appreciating her corruption. This was a character with depth, though the revelation of that depth came a little later on in the story than I would have liked. She spends much of the earlier parts of the book coming across like a stock villain.

All in all

Refreshingly, this is a standalone with a satisfying ending. Warped is a good debut that shows a lot of promise. My expectations were admittedly high (I was hoping and praying that this would be *that* book), and they were not met. In time though, Maurissa Guibord does seem to have the potential to write *that* book and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what she writes next.

 Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

This book satisfies the following challenges: 

• 2011 Debut Author Challenge
• Most Awaited YA Releases Challenge
• Library Reading Challenge

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