Monday 10 May 2010

The Moth Diaries - Book Review

The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein

What is it about:
At an exclusive girls' boarding school, a sixteen-year-old girl records her most intimate thoughts in a diary. The object of her growing obsession is her roommate, Lucy Blake, and Lucy's friendship with their new and disturbing classmate. Ernessa is an enigmatic, moody presence with pale skin and hypnotic eyes.
Around her swirl dark rumors, suspicions, and secrets as well as a series of ominous disasters. As fear spreads through the school and Lucy isn't Lucy anymore, fantasy and reality mingle until what is true and what is dreamed bleed together into a waking nightmare that evokes with gothic menace the anxieties, lusts, and fears of adolescence. And at the center of the diary is the question that haunts all who read it: Is Ernessa really a vampire? Or has the narrator trapped herself in the fevered world of her own imagining?


What did I think of it:
This story has lots of promise, but doesn't deliver. It starts out nice, with a slow build up to the point that the lead character starts to think Ernessa is a vampire, but when that point is reached the story falls flat and drags itself towards the end. The lead character also wasn't believable to me. One minute she spouts wisdoms that would fit someone with lots more experience and the next minute she talks like a spoilt brat. I also think this story would have worked better if it wasn't written in diary-style, although I should probably give the author credit for that: it truely felt like reading a diary, but in this case that isn't a good thing.

Why should you read it:
I will confess I have little patience with teen dramatics, so I might judge this book too hard, so if the story sounds like something you might like, pick this book up and lets see if you agree with me or not.

4 comments:

titania86 said...

The cover for the book is intriguing, but I think I'll stay away. I also get annoyed with teen drama. Thanks for the honest review!

Jen at Introverted Reader said...

The premise sounds intriguing, but I also have little patience for teen drama. I'll have to pass on this one. Thanks for the honest review!

I have an award for you on my blog.

Sullivan McPig said...

:-D Thanks!!

Nina said...

ooh I like teen drama! Well, I quess I like drama in general. :) I have a lot of books on my tbr list, so I think I will pass this one. But it does sounds interesting. Great review!