{Review} FEATHER BOUND by Sarah Raughley

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This is an EARLY REVIEW.
FEATHER BOUND launches May 6, 2013!

O P E N I N G   H O O K:

AT PRECISELY SEVEN IN THE MORNING, MY oldest sister, Ericka, arrived at our Brooklyn shack and was horrified to find our dad sprawled out on the couch, basting in a sea of beer cans. Half an hour later, he was waxing poetic about his freshly dead college chum, too drunk to put his pants on the right way, while Ericka tried to shove a tie around his neck. She looked like she'd rather strangle him with it.

(Page 3, US e-ARC edition)

The thing that first intrigued me about FEATHER BOUND was the blurb in the summary that stated, "FEATHER BOUND is a dark debut reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez's A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, and the twisted truth behind the fairy tale of Cinderella." Um, YES. I want to know more right now! I don't, however, think that this is a retelling of Cinderella. There's a masquerade that has Cinderella Ball moments, but don't go into this novel expecting Cinderella. It's actually much more like Japanese folktale The Crane Wife, with a bit of selkie lore thrown in for good measure.

Deanna lives in our own world, with a catch: Swans exist in this world. They're out in the open, too. It isn't a shock to find out someone is a swan like it would be in folklore. At the same time, the people able to become swans keep that ability hidden at all costs. If it's found out, they can be sold into slavery or abused. There's a black market selling swan people that makes the unjust rich. If a swan's feathers are stolen, s/he belongs to the person who "owns" them. S/he loves and obeys and trusts that person beyond all others with no free will. When Dee sprouts wings for the first time at a party, she leaves before anyone can find out. The only problem? Someone did find out, and he's blackmailing her. If she doesn't betray her childhood best friend, the love of her life, and destroy him completely, then her secret will be revealed and her whole family will be destroyed.

Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! Dee has a lot of tough choices to make, and no one to reveal her secrets too. She was shocked when she found out her childhood best friend Hyde is still alive. While she's uncertain whether or not she wants to befriend him again, since she mourned his "death" as a child and now feels betrayed, there's still a tie that connects them. She doesn't want to betray him, but has no way out. She loves her family and wants to protect them at all costs. Her family grows and develops over the course of the novel, too. Ade went from being my least favorite family member to my favorite. She's pretty awesome and really loyal and faithful. Ericka is the weakest family member, but starts to grow a bit of a backbone later on in the book. While their father is far from sober most of the time, there are lucid moments when you can tell how much he loves his daughters.

I really liked the original lore at play in the novel. It felt like a traditional fairy tale, since it pulled together so many elements, and yet it was original, too. I liked that it was urban fantasy taking place today. It added an extra layer to the story. There's also a lot of social commentary lurking in the background that shines light on some of the darker issues in our own world. There are also lovely tales woven in between chapters that feel like pages taken from the Brothers Grimm. I was excited every time I discovered a new tale to love. It explains so much about swans, too, and really helped bring the lore of the novel alive.

FEATHER BOUND went much deeper than I was expecting, and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it even more when I realized it wasn't the first book in a trilogy. For some reason, I thought it was, and I was dreading reaching the end. But it ends completely, wrapped in a bow, in just the right fashion.

~*~

C O V E R   D E S I G N:

There's a lot of purple tones, which is always pleasing to my eye! That's the first thing I noticed. I also like the way the title, FEATHER BOUND, is all feather-like. It's a great font to use for this title!

I also like the way the dress is shredded and everywhere, as though something has torn it apart. It mimics the brutality of wings coming forth. The girl looks too happy for that horror, though!

  ~*~

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title: FEATHER BOUND

Author: Sarah Raughley

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Publisher: Strange Chemistry // Angry Robot
Received: For Review 

SUMMARY:

When Deanna's missing friend Hyde turns up at his father's funeral to claim his corporate empire and inheritance, she is swept into his glittering world of paparazzi and wealth. 

But re-kindling her friendship and the dizzying new emotions along for the ride are the least of her concerns. Because Deanna has a secret – and somebody knows. Someone who is out to get Hyde. And if she doesn't play along, and help the enemy destroy him…she will be sold to the highest bidder in the black market for human swans. 

Now Deanna is struggling to break free from the gilded cage that would trap her forever… 

FEATHER BOUND is a dark debut reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez's A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, and the twisted truth behind the fairy tale of Cinderella.

~*~