The Bodies We Wear by Jeyn Roberts + a Giveaway

Imagine a drug that gives its users a glimpse of magnificence. Now imagine that drug can also become dangerously addicting for some of its users. And those who overdose and manage to survive fight its effects for the rest of their life. 

This is Heaven's Dream - Heam. A drug so potent that its very creators succumbed to its temptation. It's only been around for twelve years but it has changed the world in unimaginable ways. Faye's own father was an addict and when he couldn't pay his dealers, they came for Faye instead. She was just eleven when they force fed her Heam and though she survived, her best friend did not. Faye vowed she would get revenge on the men responsible. She's trained every day since the incident and now she's ready. But can she go through with it?

Holy crap this book was good! I've never read Jeyn Roberts before and now I feel like I've been missing out.

The Bodies We Wear is dark, dark, dark. It reminded me a bit (just a bit) of All These Things I've Done and Shovel Ready. Weird connections, I know, but let me explain. All These Things I've Done because of the setting: somewhat futuristic and yet very much like the world today, with very obvious effects of the restrictions/drug (All These Things/Bodies We Wear) and because the drug lord aspect in Roberts's book brought to mind the mob presence in Zevin's. As for Shovel Ready, it's the cult-like aspect of Heam use and the addiction to the limnosphere (particularly the way it's used by Spademan's foe). And again the futuristic setting heavily weighted in the world we know today.

It's probably a stretch for anyone not living in my brain but it seemed all three would live in the same stratosphere of the fiction world. Plus, they're all dark themes! Drugs, vengeance...

I loved Faye. I loved the way Roberts brought her physical and mental struggles into the story. Faye isn't invincible. Yes, she's driven by a desire for revenge - almost blinded by it - but she's not a machine. Even in the first pages, when she's clearly on a mission (what that mission may be is unclear to the reader at that point), she's sympathetic to the girl looking for her brother and she saves a life as well.

This book was like Pringles, once I started I just could not stop. I can't resist mentioning the song, either. Roberts has a playlist in the back of the book, but I didn't realize that until I'd finished. I wasn't terribly surprised to see that "It Can't Rain All the Time" by Jane Siberry was listed, though, as it had been running through my head every single time Faye commented on the rain. Um, any old Crow fans out there? (The walkabouts my head goes on while reading can be a little scary.)

Anyway, The Bodies We Wear was fabulous. Somewhat surprisingly so considering I had no idea what to expect going in. Roberts's previous released are now going in the must have list and I definitely recommend any fans of darker fiction check this one out as well.

Now, thanks to the publisher I get to offer up a copy to one of you lucky readers! To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, November 3. Open US/Canada only and no PO boxes, please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway