Review: Warped, by Maurissa Guibord

Warped
Maurissa Guibord
Hardcover, 352 pages
Delacorte (1/11/11)
Rating: (Avg 4.0)

Tessa doesn't believe in magic. Or Fate. But there's something weird about the dusty unicorn tapestry she discovers in a box of old books. She finds the creature woven within it compelling and frightening. After the tapestry comes into her possession, Tessa experiences dreams of the past and scenes from a brutal hunt that she herself participated in. When she accidentally pulls a thread from the tapestry, Tessa releases a terrible centuries old secret. She also meets William de Chaucy, an irresistible 16th-century nobleman. His fate is as inextricably tied to the tapestry as Tessa's own. Together, they must correct the wrongs of the past. But then the Fates step in, making a tangled mess of Tessa's life. Now everyone she loves will be destroyed unless Tessa does their bidding and defeats a cruel and crafty ancient enemy.

The first thing that attracted me to this book was the cover. It's very unique and a definite attention grabber for me. Then, while reading the blurb, "unicorn" stuck out like a sore thumb. Although I knew from the beginning that an actual unicorn would take a small role (ie- not many scenes) in the book, there is still a unicorn in the story. My inner ten-year-old demanded that I read it. I wasn't disappointed in the least. In fact, I was surprised at how dimensional the story was and how fascinating everything seemed to weave together.

Tessa is an incredible character. Her willingness to defy pretty much anyone to help William was a great feat for her. I also loved her witty dialogue. Some of the most enjoyable parts for me was when she talked to herself as she tried to psyche herself out of doing something. In some stories, this can get tedious and dull, oftentimes making the character look weak. For Tessa, it was the opposite. It was almost endearing. Speaking of endearing: Tessa's friendship with Opal was flawless. Opal was that best friend that every girl needs in her life - completely trustworthy, bluntly honest and always there for you no matter what. I am so sick of reading about a best friend that turns on the main character... it was refreshing to see the opposite in this. William de Chaucy was yet another extremely strong character. He was arrogant a first, but quickly redeemed himself. His protectiveness over Tessa, even when he knew who she had been and what she had done, was very sweet. His character, as well as the interaction between him and Tessa, seemed very genuine and never forced. I loved watching the love blossom between the two. The Three Fates and Gray Lily also played extremely important roles in the story. They were all incredibly written, each with a voice of their own - each bringing their own intrigue into the story. Gray Lily was a wickedly evil antagonist who you couldn't help love to hate.

Although I could go on and on about the characters, I have to say that Warped was definitely a plot-driven book for me. I'm amazed and awed how flawlessly Maurissa put together the past and the present in the story. The scenes of the past enhanced your knowledge of the present at just the right points so you understood what was going on, without all of the chaos of getting scenes mixed up and you don't leave the story feeling completely dazed and confused. The ending twisted my emotions up into a ball into the very last moment, but in a good way.

All in all, I loved this book. If you're a YA reader who is a fan of fantasy, this is one you'll have to pick up.

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