Title: Mariposa
Author: Kim Wells
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Release Date: December 20, 2014
Pages: 292
Book Source: eBook from promotional team
Murdered, then trapped between worlds as a ghost, Meg is surrounded by other lost souls, some seeking to make peace with their past, while others… others fear a killer in the netherworld, who feeds on what ghosts most treasure: memories. As the killer grows stronger, he begins to threaten both the dead and the living, including Meg’s grieving step daughter.
Intertwined with true-ghost stories, some heart-warming, some heart-breaking, this love-note to San Antonio combines history, myth, and vivid description.
My Review:
The beginning of Mariposa is very slow. I understand the reader needs some back story, and to see how strong Meg’s love is for Tony and his daughter, Amelinda, but I almost stopped reading. That along with how many times Meg mentions that she can’t believe she slept with Tony on the first date, really put me off.
But I continued on and was happy that I did. The story really picks up once Meg starts interacting with other ghosts. I really enjoyed seeing the story of these other ghosts, and how depraved some of them became because their need for revenge was so strong.
The other ghost’s stories were too brief though. I wanted to know more about them. And although the main story is supposed to be about Meg, if you took away the ghosts, her story wouldn’t have been much at all.
The dialogue felt a bit young for some of the heavier concepts Kim Wells was dealing with in this book. But I don’t read a lot of YA, so perhaps I am being overly critical.
I did enjoy the reference to various Latino culture and folklore, and it was interesting how Wells brought it all together. Although I thought that the ghost wolves at the end felt a bit like they were tacked on. As if Wells needed to end this story, so she brought them in. It felt a bit rushed, and I think they could have been expounded upon.
Reading back over my review I realize I write about liking something, and then in the same paragraph, not liking something else related to it. That’s why I gave it a three star rating. There was good and bad, and the book was okay.
If you enjoy YA, this book could be perfect for you. If you are a novice at the various Latino myths, including the Weeping Woman, you might find the book very interesting.
*I was given an eBook copy by the promotional team. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I was not given any money or material incentives for an honest review of this book.