After two advanced reader's copy books...here's one that's published! YAY!
There is still a disclaimer. This book does deal with abuse; abusive situations, relationships, and the long lasting effects of experiencing abuse (trauma if you will). It's not something I was expecting when I picked up the book, and I know the subject can be very uncomfortable for people to read, and they seek to avoid it. So just a heads up.
An amazon summary, "An intoxicating blend of fantasy, horror, and romance--a Faustian fable perfect for fans of Holly Black, and Stranger Things.
Dee Moreno is out of options. Her home life sucks (to put it mildly), and she's about to get booted from her boarding school--the only place she's ever felt free--for lack of funds. But this is a world where demons exist, and the demons are there to make deals: one human body part in exchange for one wish come true.
The demon who Dee approaches doesn't trade in the usual arms and legs, however. He's only interested in her heart. And what comes after Dee makes her deal is a nightmare far bigger, far more monstrous than anything she ever could have imagined. Reality is turned on its head, and Dee has only her fellow "heartless," the charming but secretive James Lancer, to keep her grounded. As something like love grows between them amid an otherworldly threat, Dee begins to wonder: Can she give James her heart when it's no longer hers to give?
In The Hearts We Sold, demons can be outwitted, hearts can be reclaimed, monsters can be fought, and love isn't impossible. This book will steal your heart and break it, and leave you begging for more." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE
Dee Moreno is enrolled at a prestigious boarding school on a scholarship. She rubs elbows with the sons and daughters of the upper class, and is actually only concentrated on her studies. One day, she's summoned out of class to be informed the school can't reach her parents, and by the way, she's losing her scholarship because they lost the funding.
Elsewhere in the world, demons have made themselves known to humans. In exchange for a body part, they will grant you a wish. They also prefer to be called daemons, not demons.
Dee goes home to tell her parents about the funding being gone. Her Dad insinuates that she'll move home of course, her mother is pretty excited to have her around the house again, but Dee wants to stay at the school. This throws the Dad into a tantrum of how Dee think she's better than them, how their home isn't good enough for her, and oh by the way do all of these chores now that you're home.
Understandably upset, Dee returns to school. As part of the student requirements at school, the students all have to volunteer. Dee does her volunteer work at the hospital and is startled when she sees a daemon knitting. She has a brief conversation with them, before she returns to school. To get her mind off of her troubles, she decides to accept her dorm mates casual offer to attend a party. Once she's there, she runs into another girl who has made a trade with a daemon.
Dee decides to find the daemon she saw at the hospital, and make a deal. She also doesn't realize that by taking this deal, she has joined a side in a war.
DUN DUN DUNNNNN. Stopping all the summary there.
So, I LOVED this book. It's a very Faustian kind of mythos, and it's absolutely enchanting between the character growth, alternating narrators, and how the mystery of the daemons are revealed.
A lot of the emotional turmoil Dee experiences feels very, very authentic; and how the abuse is portrayed in this book also felt realistic. Now, I've made comments in past book reviews about how I dislike when authors write about a subject like abuse, rape, murder, etc; some kind of tragedy and they just kind of throw it into the book as a plot device and trying to add depth, but don't give the topic the gravitas and reverence it deserves. This book does give the subject of abuse the gravitas and reverence it deserves, while not losing sight of the plot, and maintaining great world building.
So good.
Happy reading!
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