Death in Verse feels so unique! I love this take on poetry magic, the magic of words to create, and the idea of an almost locked room murder mystery. This YA debut is a fabulous and action packed story about ambition and magic. Keep reading this book review of Death in Verse for my full thoughts.
Summary
When Bronte Cade’s mother vanishes, the only clue she leaves behind is an invitation to a retreat for magical poets. Determined to find answers, Bronte attends in her mother’s place by masquerading as the esteemed Dr. Sappho Cade.
But when Bronte arrives at the Radley School of Poetry, she finds the island abandoned—save for six other confused poets, one line of an unfinished poem, and an anonymous host who issues a chillingultimatum through an enchanted gramophone: complete the spell, and they may return home on the next ferry. Fail, and they die.
There’s another problem: Bronte isn’t magical.
With escape impossible, the body count rising, and her mother still missing, Bronte forms a wary alliance with the infuriating yet brilliant Marlowe Fang. Together, they race to unmask their host before Bronte is exposed—or worse, the next victim.
But beneath the host’s sinister scheme lies an even more insidious plot, one decades in the making. It bleeds beyond the shores of Radley like an ink stain, and no one’s hands are clean. Least of all the people Bronte trusts most.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Death in Verse feels lyrical without even taking into consideration the gorgeous poetry. Lew’s YA debut is a world of rolling fog, isolated islands, and the feeling of sparks on the wind. I expected an action packed story about murder, ambition, and investigation. What I didn’t expect, was a story about mothers and daughters. Death in Verse examines the distance between these new friends and unlikely allies, but also between the people we are supposed to know the most, the ones we love. Death in Verse revolve around ambition and survival. Trapped and forced to create, Death in Verse unfolds the mystery of the past and secrets which others will do whatever it takes to keep buried.
Death in Verse explores legacy and the ways life, loss, and love are immortalized in poetry. I loved how we are treated to glimpses of other characters in Death in Verse. It keeps us on our toes about not knowing who we can trust, even till the very end. Even as Bronte is forced to see her mother as her mother and the professor, to reconcile the images and the identity. All her life she’s felt like she left down her mother by being born magicless, but not being able to participate in this world with her. She’s mourned a loss she could never change.
With all their cards on the table, Death in Verse challenges our characters in a fight to the death and one where trust is not easily given. It’s a story with mystery woven in layers and breezes through open windows. Death in Verse asks us if we will turn into a monster to protect the ones we love, to protect our own lives, and – once we do – can we ever go back? I adored this unique concept and the murder mystery fantasy mash up Find Death in Verse on Goodreads, Storygraph, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.