Ivy

Ivy
Author: Julie Hearn
Series: ---
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
How Received: school library

Ivy stared at the spoon standing straight up in the mess of food. She had good reasons all right, but no one ever listened to them without laughing or getting cross, so what was the point of explaining?

Flame-colored hair and odd-colored eyes caused Ivy to be declared 'useless' by her father at her birth. Ever since then, she's been overlooked by her thief & scoundrel filled family. They look at her, but they don't see.

Ivy has a quality that makes people take notice. It's more than beauty - and it draws people toward her.

Oscar Arentino Frosdick of the pre-Raphaelite school of artists has found his muse and model in her. But behind Ivy's angelic looks lurk dark secrets and a troubled past — a past that has given her an unfortunate taste for laudanum. And when treachery and jealousy surface in the Eden that is the artist's garden, Ivy must learn to be more than a pretty face if she is to survive.

I'm... not quite sure what I think of this book.

I enjoyed it, I know that much. Ivy as a character was interesting enough, and I loved the way it was written. (Not to mention the subtitles to the chapters could be awfully funny.)

But... the plot line wasn't as described. In fact, it seemed to have a lot of strings that were all just cut off at the end of the novel. The artist's mother's unrealistic jealousy, Ivy's addiction to laudanum, Carroty Kate, her relationship with her family, her family's relationships with other people-

[SPOILER ALERT]
All of the plot lines were tied up by completely removing her from the people and putting her where she was happiest. Yes, I love a happy ending as much as the next person, but to just stick her there? Not so much.
[/SPOILER ALERT]

I thought all the plots came across as only half done - things that sounded good and made the story interesting, but weren't as fully developed as they should have been.

Final Comments: I won't give it a rating, because it's very much based on how much you like Ivy as a character and how willing you are to ignore the unfleshed plots. I loved Ivy, but... ah well. I do want to read the sequel. (Hazel, about Ivy's daughter.)

Cover Whore: Do I adore the cover? Yes. Does the book have anything to do with the tag line? (Who said seduction was sweet?) Uh. No. I saw not one thing about seduction in the whole 351 pages.

~ N