Abstract
Reviewed by: Nameless: A Tale of Beauty and Madness by Lili St. Crow Kate Quealy-Gainer St. Crow, Lili . Nameless: A Tale of Beauty and Madness. Razorbill, 2013. [336p]. ISBN 978-1-59514-357-0 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 8-10 Badly beaten and abandoned in the snow, Camille was rescued by Enrico Vultusino when she was just six years old. Ten years later, Camille enjoys a luxurious life as the adopted daughter of the head of the most powerful immortal Families in New Haven, but she still has no memory of the trauma that left her with multiple scars and a stutter. The small sense of security she feels in the Vultusino home is increasingly threatened as her hot-tempered stepbrother takes over the Family, horrid creatures hunt the streets and girls start disappearing near Camille's school, and a garden boy brings to surface the secrets she thought were long buried. This is actually a creative revisioning of "Snow White," and St. Crow takes her iteration of the already dark fairy tale to hellish depths, creating a grotesque and stunningly sinister world as a backdrop to an equally disturbing and intricate plot. Camille is initially a passive cliché as she waits for stepbrother Nico to continually save her from her nightmares, both real and imagined, but her helplessness becomes more authentic as the unspeakable acts she suffered come to light. The slow reveal of her true origins makes for some nail-biting moments, and the second half is as much a psychological thriller as it is a horror story. Camille's triumph over her past is somewhat undercut by her problematic choice to remain with a broody guy whose possessiveness teeters perilously close to abuse and manipulation. Her story remains compelling, however, and will likely find an audience among fans of [End Page 394] Twilight, along with readers of darker paranormal stories such as Brenna Yovanoff 's The Space Between (BCCB 12/11). Copyright © 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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