Made For You by Melissa Marr Review

Title: Made For You
Author: Melissa Marr
Published: September 16, 2014
Pages: 358
Format: ARC
Source: Received at BookExpo America

Summary (Goodreads):
Bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely books Melissa Marr’s first contemporary YA novel is a twisted southern gothic tale of obsession, romance, and murder. A killer is obsessed with Eva Tilling. Can she stop him, or will he claim her?

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling.

___

Wow. I just picked this up and started power reading it yesterday because I wanted to be able to review it in time for the release day (today). I have always loved Melissa Marr’s work, her Wicked Lovely series has a special place on my favorite list. But Made For You is nothing like Wicked Lovely in terms of genre and characters but the writing is still fantastic. Normally I don’t go for contemporary thrillers but this does have a slight paranormal twist and it was Melissa Marr so I had to give it a go.

In the end it wasn’t the paranormal twist that captured me, it was the characters and the mystery of who this killer could possibly be. I found myself flipping back to past chapters to try to pick up on clues and figure out who the killer was before it was revealed. I’ll admit I didn’t figure it out until Melissa made it very clear who the killer was, which is still a little ahead of Eva’s discovery but I think that is what made this book so compelling, the mystery of it all. If you like thrillers and trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle then this is a book for you.

The one challenge I found, and I think many will find, is that reading from Judge’s point of view is difficult, not because it was poorly written, but because this character is disturbed on such a deep level. What Judge thinks is right and the methods this killer’s mind uses to justify the actions committed is disturbing and terrifying. Bone-chillingly terrifying.

My only wish for this book was I would have liked to have seen a little more of the aftermath, but that being said what is given is satisfying. So if you enjoy a mystery set in the deep South with a twist of thriller and paranormal Made For You is a must have for your to-read list.