Thursday, September 18, 2014

Catherine by April Lindner Review


"A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. Wuthering Heights as you’ve never seen it before.

Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?

Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years—a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her—starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.

Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery."

Catherine is a mystery. It mixes a few genres all together. Contemporary. Love. Romance. Tragedy. Death. A few others, but those are only a few genres it could fall under. And I will tell you that I never read Wuthering Heights. I never even looked at the plot. Someone told me it was about vampires, and I didn't believe that person. And I highly doubt it is about vampires. To that person: please be a bit more informative and truthful (because I don't like being played with). 

Okay, let's start with Catherine. And I'm not talking about the book as a whole. I'm talking about Catherine, the character, the mother of Chelsea. And the book. Oh, yes. I'm complicated. Catherine, as a book, is a mother-daughter book. Catherine speaks from the past. The other, Chelsea, speaks from the present. It is sort of like a twisted version of Romeo and Juliet. You know what is going to happen in the end, but you don't want it to happen. You just want a happy ending for these characters... And it is kind of sad and beautiful in the end. He joins her in death. Or she joins him in death. Beautiful.

Chelsea, like I said before, speaks from the present. She is the one trying to solve her little Nancy Drew mystery. She is trying to solve the mystery of Catherine's disappearance. And that is where it gets really interesting. When you dig into the past, you find surprising pieces of history. And then you start questioning the people you thought you known. Oh, wait. Chelsea never knew her mother. Well, I guess learn new things you didn't know about...

(I facepalm myself, because that portion was really weird). 

Overall, Catherine is a good book, but I wish the author left a bit more red herrings. We know it most likely isn't Hence, which leaves Chelsea's father and Catherine's brother as the two main suspects. Oh, we can always add some random stranger, but let's face it. It is a bit obvious that this story is going to hit very close to home.

The synopsis is a bit misleading. I wouldn't call the romance forbidden. Chelsea's love interest is a bit forbidden, but she isn't restricted like Catherine. Catherine, on the other hand, isn't the modern day Juliet, but her brother seems to be very disapproving of her actions with Hence. So, in conclusion, the synopsis is a bit misleading.

The story starts off right away with Chelsea finding about the truth. I admit that the beginning is hazy and foggy. At first, I was like, why should I care about some lost and possibly dead mother? Eh... Whatever. When we get to Catherine's POV, that is when things get interesting. Yeah. Beginning. Quick. Confusing. Better make sure your seat belts are tight.

Rating: Three out of Five

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