Mary, born in Alabama to poor and neglectful parents, thought the biggest change she'd ever experience had happened eight years earlier, when she was adopted by an upper-middle-class couple who moved her to New York and enrolled her in a private school. Not only did Mary get a loving mother and father but she also got a same-age sister. Life is now stable and full of promise--Mary's biggest problems are that her new last name is Richards and that classmate Ling Ling Lebowitz has a mean streak.Then one day a cat brushes up against Mary, and just like that, her sense of reality is changed forever. What does it mean that there is now a strip of orange cat fur growing in a swirl around her foot?
Helen Ellis's The Turning: What Curiosity Kills is the first book in a new urban paranormal series for young adults. Sixteen-year-old Mary discovers that she is special, but being able to turn into a cat is not quite the special she was hoping for. The good news is that her major crush, Nick, can also turn, and he seems to be more than willing to be her guide. The bad news is that her sister is deathly afraid of cats. The good news is that Mary has to hide her condition for only five years. The bad news is that she has to hide her condition for five years.
According to Nick, the turning lasts two weeks every winter and then again for the entire summer. If they manage to stay alive for five years, they will be released from becoming cats and will be able to lead a normal life. What Curiosity Kills sets up the series: We are introduced to the major players, both feline and human; figure out that there are at least two gangs vying for control of the Upper East Side; and learn a bit about the lore behind the turnings.
Ellis's The Turning series will appeal most to middle-school readers, but cat lovers of any age will enjoy the premise. Adults will appreciate the novel's wry look at life on the Upper East Side. As Ellis told us in her guest post on Monday, Mary and her friends know a Manhattan that visitors to the city rarely see. After reading this book, you might have a new respect for the city's cats.
What Curiosity Kills at Powell's
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Published by Sourcebooks / Fire, 2010
ISBN-13: 9781402238611
Challenges: New Author, 100+
YTD: 48
Source: Review (see review policy)
Rating: B-
Sounds like a very unique premise! I bet Booking Daughter will like it in a few years.
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of this one and it's available on Kindle. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI have this one for review, I'm particularly interested in the unique storyline!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed certain aspects of this book and will definitely read the next one to see how the cat wars turn out.
ReplyDeleteParanormal urban fantasy + cats - sounds like my kind of book! thanks for the review :)
ReplyDeleteI love the premise of this book and have been interested in it ever since I read the author's guest post here.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to turn into a cat sounds like a fine way of being special to me ;) This cat lover is intrigued.
ReplyDeleteI'll be adding this to my wish list..sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very interesting story. Thanks, Beth.
ReplyDeleteI think my husband's getting tired of my referring to my cats as Doms. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a strange premise. But now I kind of want to read it.
ReplyDeleteI reviewed this book a few days ago. I expected camp but got a great trip through NYC!
ReplyDeletei haven't gotten this one yet but as a former Upper East Sider I look forward to reading it with my cats and them passing it on to my little cousin before she gets to old for it. She just informed me that she won't read a book about 5th grade b/c that's for babies. Umm, she isn't even in fifth grade yet.
ReplyDelete