From the Stacks: A Touch of Scarlet by Eve Marie Mont

Here is another NetGalley From the Stacks review. The only issues I had with this book had to do with the fact that I was dealing with a wonky formatted proof copy, but I can't hold that against the content of the book or my review, since I knew that NetGalley often gives their reviewers the uncorrected proof copies of books.

Summary:

"The compelling heroine of Eve Marie Mont’s novel A Breath of Eyre returns to find truth and fiction merging through the pages of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic, The Scarlet Letter…

Emma Townsend is back at prestigious Lockwood Prep, but her world has altered immeasurably since her tumultuous sophomore year. The best change of all: her boyfriend, Gray. And though Gray is leaving for Coast Guard training, Emma feels newly optimistic, even if the pain of her mother’s long-ago death still casts a shadow.

Yet Emma isn’t the only one who’s changed. Her friend and roommate, Michelle, is strangely remote, and old alliances are shifting in disconcerting ways. Soon Emma’s long-distance relationship with Gray is straining under the pressure, and Emma wonders if she’s cracking too. How else to explain the vivid dreams of Hester Prynne she’s been having since she started reading The Scarlet Letter? Or the way she’s found herself waking in the woods? As her life begins to echo events in the novel, Emma will be forced to choose between virtue and love. But can she forge a new future without breaking her heart?"

My Thoughts:

When I first picked up this book, I was really curious to see how Eve Marie Mont would get Emma into the world of Hester Prynne and The Scarlet Letter. In A Breath of Eyre, Emma ended up going to the hospital four times, and I sincerely hoped that would not be the same method for the translation this time. If you remember from my review of the first book, that was definitely one of the points that really bothered me. Thankfully, it wasn't the same. Instead, Emma goes into a pseudo dream state while running...and she only goes to the hospital once, so that's a definite plus.

Knowing that The Scarlet Letter was central to this book, I really should have known that it would deal with some serious matters in the lives of Emma, Michelle, Gray, Owen, Elise, and Jess. Okay, yes, the adultery issue from the original book is not nearly the same in this...Emma kisses someone in a moment of weakness, and yes, that someone does happen to be in a relationship, but it is not nearly as drastic as what Hester Prynne experiences. Of course, high school being what it is, the gossip mill takes care of everything and the issue blows completely out of proportion. A Touch of Scarlet really is about growing up, figuring out who you are, taking a stand with friends and against injustice, and it also broaches the matter of sexuality. I thought it was all very well done, and even in the midst of some serious bullying and such, Emma and her friends, both old and new, still also find a way to joke around with each other.

Now, like some other reviews I've seen, I did feel like some of the characters changed almost too drastically. Emma was a good strong protagonist in A Breath of Eyre, even standing up for herself and Michelle in front of the honor council, but for a majority of A Touch of Scarlet, Emma seems to have withdrawn from everyone, becoming so attached to Gray that when he isn't around she is basically a mess, not really knowing who she is or what she is doing. (I know in some circles, this is known as the Bella syndrome, because it is basically how Bella acts after Edward leaves her in New Moon). Of course, I also think, considering all the mistakes she has made through the book and because of everything she has learned, by the end of the story Emma has definitely become a stronger person than she was before. So, this book tore her apart and put her back together.

I will be really intrigued to see what happens in A Phantom Enchantment, because seeing Emma in the world of The Phantom of the Opera should be pretty fun, while also dealing with a number of mature themes that I believe teens and young adults deal with quite frequently these days. So, I really look forward to reading the final book of this trilogy. Overall, I really think this book is more a 4.5/5.

A Touch of Scarlet at Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-touch-of-scarlet-eve-marie-mont/1112034923?ean=9780758269492

A Touch of Scarlet at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Touch-Scarlet-Eve-Marie-Mont/dp/0758269498/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362515424&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Touch+of+Scarlet

Other Readings:

Okay, now I'm getting into some of the books that I've been meaning to read for a while, and even bought, but have sat on my shelf for quite some time. First up on my list: Skinwalker by Faith Hunter, followed by Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, and Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire.