Title: Feather Bound
Author: Sarah Raughley
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
My Pre-Reading
Synopsis: When Deanna's missing friend Hyde turns up at his father's funeral to claim his corporate empire and inheritance, she is swept into his glittering world of paparazzi and wealth.
But re-kindling her friendship and the dizzying new emotions along for the ride are the least of her concerns. Because Deanna has a secret - and somebody knows. Someone who is out to get Hyde. And if she doesn't play along, and help the enemy destroy him...she will be sold to the highest bidder in the black market for human swans.
Now Deanna is struggling to break free from the gilded cage that would trap her forever...
Feather Bound is a dark debut reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez's A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, and the twisted truth behind the fairy tale of Cinderella.
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Review: Human swans, blackmail, secrets, mysteries, and all kinds of other scary/exciting sounding things? I had to read this book! And I was not at all disappointed. I loved every minute of Feather Bound.
The synopsis says that this book is the twisted truth behind Cinderella, but I kind of disagree. Sure, there are definitely moments when I thought that this was reminiscent of Cinderella - Deanna's mother is dead, there's a ball, a carriage, and Deanna is treated like a princess by Hyde - but some of the other references are a real stretch. I enjoyed them and was definitely looking for anything that could be a subtle nod to the fairy tale, but I think this book stands on its own and doesn't even need to be compared to such a well known story.
Speaking of fairy tales, one of my favorite things about this book was the embedded fairy tale. I love a story within a story, and it was really interesting to watch it come full circle. Reading the "Tale" chapters was exciting, and helped expand the world of the swans. They're pretty taboo in the real world, so a lot of the background on them comes from the fairy tale and from Dee discovering what it means for her to be swan. Her world is very much like ours, except for the swans who can be enslaved by someone getting their hands on even one feather.
This story moves very quickly - Hyde returns, Dee finds out what she is, someone else learns her secret, and then all of a sudden she's playing for the enemy's team and trying to figure out if this is who she really is. Oh, and this is all in the first half! The second half is just as intense, if not more so, and everyone's dirty laundry starts to air. I stayed on the edge of my seat and just couldn't put the book down!
If you love fairy tales, mystery, suspense, thrillers, and are looking for something new and unique, you definitely DO NOT want to miss Feather Bound! I couldn't get enough, and I want more (although this book wraps everything up nicely). I can't wait to read whatever Sarah has coming next, and I just hope it's as beautifully haunting as this book was! 5/5.
--Ashley
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