{ARC Review} Death Weeps by Tamara Rose Blodgett

From Goodreads: Caleb faces possible jail time for using Clyde as a undeadly weapon. When he’s exonerated with probation lasting a year, Caleb has to watch his every action. Tensions run high when after the death of Jade’s only relatives, she must live with an undesirable foster family who are anything but what they seem….

Life gets complicated for everyone when the scientists responsible for the paranormal manifestation threaten a parallel world to Caleb’s own. In a bid to stop the destruction of their world, while saving his own, Caleb must defend two peoples against the long arm of the Graysheets.

Time begins to run against him when he discovers, through an unlikely source, that his friends have been given a drug that causes progressive insanity. Can he find the anecdote in time to save them? To save Jade?

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This was an intense read.  With Caleb on probation, the parallel world of the sphere in jeopardy (I just love the intermingling of these two series!), and an insanity drug tearing Caleb’s friends apart, this novel keeps the reader immersed in its pages until the very last page.  Be prepared to visit the entire spectrum of emotions as you read this harrowing novel, especially as Caleb must battle not only the physical threats around him, but also his inner turmoil and rage, a constant threat to those around him, and what landed him on probation in the first place.

If you’ve read The Savage Vengeance, then part of this novel involving the sphere will already be known to you, but Blodgett does a great job altering the scene so it focuses more of the teens in this version, than on the Band as in The Savage Vengeance version.  And… unbeknownst to us readers when we first read TSV, but Caleb and his friends don’t just visit once, but twice—the second of which is the most savage and heart pounding or the two encounters (and if you’ve read TSV, then you know just how heart stopping the first encounter was!!!) . 

I was on pins and needles throughout this entire novel, worried for the safety of everyone, but especially the females as worlds collide and the Graysheets willingly subject their own “creations” to highly evil circumstances.  While I hate to ever add a spoiler in my reviews, I think it is important to note that there is no rape in this novel, or in any of Blodgett’s other novels, for that matter.  While the fragment do exploit women, Blodgett has never written in a rape scene, or had anything so vile happen to any of her female characters.  I think it is important to note this because, as a female, I know that I shy away from all novels that deal with such a vile, touchy topic, and sometimes so much as the fear of an allusion to rape will cause me to refrain from picking up a novel.  So, readers, rest assured, no females are raped in this novel, though there are close encounters.

One of the things that I really love about Blodgett is how real her characters and situations are, even though elements of the paranormal are throughout the entire story.  Blodgett captures the truth that is growing up and coming of age.  The friendships, humor, heartache, and anger, are all present and very real.  I especially loved how, in this novel, Blodgett tests Caleb and Jade’s connection, presenting truths to both that they were previously blind to, and I am highly interested to see where their relationship goes in future novels. Five stars.

I recieved a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.  Death Weeps goes on sale on May 18th, 2012.