Velveteen by Daniel Marks

October 10th, 2012 Kimberly Review 71 Comments

10th Oct
Velveteen by Daniel Marks
Velveteen
by Daniel Marks
Series: Velveteen #1
Genres: Paranormal
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that's not the problem. The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it's not a fiery inferno, it's certainly no heaven. It's gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn't leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what's really on her mind. Bonesaw. Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she's figured out just how to do it. She'll haunt him for the rest of his days. It'll be brutal . . . and awesome. But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen's obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she's willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker. Velveteen can't help herself when it comes to breaking rules . . . or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.

You know that feeling you get when you first begin reading a book and realize you have stumbled onto something really good. When it grabs you at page one and you submerse yourself into the world the author has created? That is exactly what happened to me when I opened up Velveteen. Marks wicked imagination took me into the depths of purgatory, with beautiful, dark details and fascinating characters. With multiple plots weaved throughout this tale I found myself completely spellbound.

When we meet sixteen year old Velveteen Moore she is dead, and haunting the home of the man who killed her. When Velveteen died, she did not cross over into the light, instead she ended up in purgatory. Despite the risk of losing her soul, she keeps sneaking out to try and stop him. In this fascinating, dark, grey world she is the team leader of a group that protect those dwelling in purgatory. Recent threats and talks of the “end of times” have caused tension and disastrous events. When “Shakequakes” begin and souls are snatched, Velveteen and her team head through a crack to find the source of the disturbance. A new co-worker named Nick is about to shake Velveteen’s world up. The tale that unfolds is dark, gritty, humorous, scary, freaky, page-turning and at times deliciously romantic.

I really liked snarky protagonist Velveteen. She has attitude, and is a kick-ass leader for her team. Her outward image depicts someone who is tough, and untouchable. Inside, she cares… a lot. She worries about her team and saving purgatory. Thoughts of Bonesaw and revenge drive her. I loved how despite her own terrifying memories and overwhelming sense of fear that she tackles things head on. She fiercely protects her heart for fear of being hurt. When she lets people in she discovers something special. I loved how clever she was at piecing together clues and executing a plan. Nick was a drop dead gorgeous jock living with his overworked, underpaid Mom before his death. Now he is in purgatory and let’s just say death agrees with him. He has that messy never care hair you want to run your fingers through.(yum) His warm expressive eyes and crooked smile have all the girls swooning. Despite some of his libido driven conversations (rolls eyes) and puppy dog comments, I liked him. He looks out for his team; stand up for what he believes and totally has the hots for Velveteen. His feelings for her were kinda insta-lovey. Grr! Thankfully Velveteen had other ideas and we got to see things develop. She on the other hand definitely finds him oh so kissable, but as her leader he is totally against the rules and untouchable. It was fun watching these two interact and seeing her tough exterior crack. There were definitely some sweet, romantic moments. Other characters from the station manager to the origami maker made the tale interesting. Marks really developed all of the characters, giving them each a distinct personality and made them memorable. I love when even the secondary characters are fleshed out. Bonesaw and the villain gave me the creeps and added suspense.

Marks blew me away with his world-building and imagination. I loved the world he created and the details he used to bring this underground city to life. I love so many things about purgatory. Who would have thought? If Tim Burton were to create a movie about this dark, gritty, nightmarish place he need only consult Marks. I was completely enthralled with this world, from the trains and check in station to the dark streets and dormitories. I found the rules, hierarchy, jobs and traditions downright awesome. I was blown away by the author’s limitless imagination and could totally see this coming to life on the big screen. While I still have many questions about purgatory and the limited understanding of where souls go from here, I did enjoy all that we learned. I am hoping Marks tightens up these holes or provides more detail in the next book. Velveteen’s team and the missions they went on were totally cool. The way in which they captured souls and banished Banshees was freaky good. I completely immersed myself in the different plots and action scenes. From nasty souls, squeamish moments, zombies to a serial killer this book has it all. I loved the climactic battle and the interrogation scenes. I just want to spill my guts and talk about some of the fantastic, hilarious, gruesome, mind boggling stuff that went down. (Darn my self-imposed no spoiler rule..Grrr) The end tied up nicely, with just enough left unanswered to have me drooling for more.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I totally loved Velveteen!! I recommend you run to the nearest bookstore and purchase this one. For goodness sake hurry! I want to chat with someone about all of its dark gooey goodness and get your opinion on Nick. Marks is on my list of must read authors and I cannot wait to get my hands on book two which is not yet titled.

Copyright (c) 2011-2013 Caffeinated Book Reviewer
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

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71 Responses to “Velveteen by Daniel Marks”

  2. Heather

    It’s funny how reading tastes can change in a person. Used to be that serial killer/ grisly/ ghoulish books and I didn’t mix. But lately some of the best books I’ve read have been this type! I’m intrigued by this one, and I love that cover because, yeah, she looks TOTALLY bad ass:)

  5. Rebecca Preston

    Ugh I’m still on the fence. i love the idea but I really hate romance, driven stories. The question for me is, “is it gritty enough”. I can overlook romance when the story is dark enough but otherwise it bores me. Maybe I’ll make Randi read it first.

  7. MaryAnn

    I am so behind on review books! We have this one to review and need to step up our game and play catch up! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one Kim!

  11. LisaILJ

    I’m so glad you liked this book. I have had my eye on it ever since I saw it on display at ALA.

  13. ryan snyder

    i love snarky protagonists too. they have to have a little bite to them. 🙂 otherwise they are just silly girls. lol

  15. Book Savvy Babe

    ok, so we know that I’m not the biggest YA reader, but I do love a good/quality ya series on occasion. Gotta say, you sold me with your first paragraph of the review. I love it when you start reading a book and it hooks you right away, that doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, you know you found a new series to love 🙂

  17. Heidi

    I love good solid world building so I know I will enjoy all the Purgatory scenes and snark makes a character even better, I have this coming up in November on my blog and I am really looking forward to it!

  21. Gi-Gi Omfsm

    Wonderful review! Happy you loved it! 🙂

    Your review makes me wanna get my hands on this book even more badly now. Ugh this just sounds so awesome and I love snarky protagonists so this is definitely a read for me 😀

  23. Jennifer Bielman

    You had me at Tim Burton. hehe. I love books like this. Scary, awesome characters, and great world building. I totally have this one and will be reading it soon.

  25. Sandy

    I hadn’t heard of this one before, but I’m totally intrigued by the idea of the story and the characters. Looking forward to checking it out!

    Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know

  31. Jenelle Riane

    Ahh, now my expectations just shot way up! 🙂 I’m dying for this one! I’m totally willing to ignore the instalove, because this really does sounds awesome- great review!

  33. Denise Z

    I have to admit I was ambivalent about this title and almost passed on the post due to time constraints, but sister you have sold me. Definite on my radar now. Thank you for sharing and for the treat of a giveaway opportunity.

  34. kimbacaffeinate

    Ok since it is confession time, the cover whore in me demanded I read this..LOL and I am glad she insisted because I really liked purgatory and Velvet was kick-ass.

  35. Traci G

    i love the cover, its so neat. can’t wait to read this.

  37. Beckie Voigts

    I have read a lot of mixed reviews about Velveteen. I love the idea of it and still want to take a chance on it. Your review was lovely. The way you described her world sounds amazing. I love anything Tim Burton. 😉

  38. kimbacaffeinate

    Me too Becky, I have read some of those reviews but I personally loved it, I hope you get the chance to form your own opinion!

  39. Liz

    I have this one to read! But I’ve seen reviews going both ways on it, so I am really glad to see your positive review. I had to delay my reading it, but its coming up soon on my list – and I’m already late on it. Eek 🙁

  40. Sharon

    This one was a DNF for me but after reading your praise I’m definitely going to have to give it another try.

    A great review Kimba! thank-you for sharing.

  43. The Book Nympho

    After meeting the author at AADNOLA and listening to a him read from the book, I’ve had this book on my wishlist.
    Thanks for the review and giveaway.

  45. Tia

    I’m glad you liked the author and the book. I have been wanting to check this one out for a while.

  51. Christy (Love of Books)

    Man, the reviews for this book are all over the place.. love it or hate it. It actually makes me want to read it even more just to see which side I fall under.

  54. Lilian

    is it just me, or is the rafflecopter widget not showing? O_O

  55. Mary DeBorde M.A.D.

    Happy to hear how much you liked Velveteen! The world-building sounds great,
    and I can’t wait to read all the mind-boggling goodness! <3

  58. Lisa

    I’ve heard nothing but good things about Velveteen. It sounds amazing!

  60. Taylor

    I’ve seen this cover in a lot of places, so I’m glad I have a chance to own it!

  62. Stella C

    What a neat premise to paranormal romance – especially if there are good world-building involved.

  65. Jaime

    Nice to meet a fellow cover ho! Howdy! I will let you know what I think about it. Hopefully soon!

  66. kimbacaffeinate

    thanks Jaime and I’d love to hear your thoughts on this when you do. I love her name and the “cover whore” in me ..loved this cover!

  68. Sam

    This sounds really surprisingly good. I haven’t really been too interested in reading it before (no idea why!) but I can’t wait to start soon. Velveteen sounds like my sort of character. I love snarky protagonists. 🙂

  69. Darlene's Book Nook

    The world-building sounds amazing! Can’t wait to read it!! On my Wishlist!

  70. Donna

    What an awesome review Kimba! This book has been on my wishlist since first seeing the description. It sounds just as dark and incredible as I had hoped and I am dying to get my hands on a copy!

  71. Tammy Sparks

    I’m so glad you loved this book! I really trust your reviews, and I’ve read quite the mixed bag of reviews about this book, which always makes me nervous. I’ve been looking forward to it for months:) Thanks for the giveaway!