lgbt-ya: laurenjames: As I Descended by Robin Talley Published by HarperTeen/Harlequin on 6th Septem
lgbt-ya: laurenjames: As I Descended by Robin Talley Published by HarperTeen/Harlequin on 6th September 2016 Genre: Horror, Shakespeare retelling, LGBT, contemporary, murder, thriller. Goodreads | Book Depository Blurb: Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten are their school’s ultimate power couple—even if no one knows it but them.Only one thing stands between them and their perfect future: campus superstar Delilah Dufrey.Golden child Delilah is a legend at the exclusive Acheron Academy, and the presumptive winner of the distinguished Cawdor Kingsley Prize. She runs the school, and if she chose, she could blow up Maria and Lily’s whole world with a pointed look, or a carefully placed word.But what Delilah doesn’t know is that Lily and Maria are willing to do anything—absolutely anything—to make their dreams come true. And the first step is unseating Delilah for the Kingsley Prize. The full scholarship, awarded to Maria, will lock in her attendance at Stanford―and four more years in a shared dorm room with Lily.Maria and Lily will stop at nothing to ensure their victory—including harnessing the dark power long rumored to be present on the former plantation that houses their school.But when feuds turn to fatalities, and madness begins to blur the distinction between what’s real and what is imagined, the girls must decide where they draw the line.From acclaimed author Robin Talley comes a Shakespeare-inspired story of revenge and redemption, where fair is foul, and foul is fair. Review: This retelling of Macbeth changed my liiife. It’s my dream read. Shakespeare and murder and problematic faves and hauntings and psychological breakdowns. Maria (Macbeth) and Lily (the scheming Lady Macbeth) start on a path similar to the play - they are inspired to try to take down a competitor because of a prophecy told to them by a ghost (during a terrifying and amazing seance!). From then on, it diverges a lot from the play based on the setting (a boarding school), the murder method (I’m going to leave this a surprise) and the characters (who are all SO COOL). I honestly don’t want to say much more, because the joy is partly in working out how things are adapted from the play. It’s an incredibly nuanced reading experience, because you experience the confused mental breakdowns of all the characters through the prose. It’s so well crafted, I highlighted a line on every other page. Lily is my now-and-forever favourite. She’s disabled, obsessed with achieving her goals, and completely unafraid of MURDER if it means helping her girlfriend. The bloodstained hands are so well done too. Agrh, Robin Talley!! You’re so great! 5 stars Also reviewed on this blog by Robin Talley: What we left behind (3 stars) Lies we tell ourselves (5 stars) -- source link