Review: You Are Mine by Janeal Falor

Rating: 5

Synopsis:

Serena knows a few simple things. She will always be owned by a warlock. She will never have freedom. She will always do what her warlock wishes, regardless of how inane, frivolous, or cruel it is. And if she doesn’t follow the rules, she will be tarnished. Spelled to be bald, inked, and barren for the rest of her life—worth less than the shadow she casts.

Then her ownership is won by a barbarian from another country. With the uncertainty that comes from belonging to a new warlock, Serena questions if being tarnished is really worse than being owned by a barbarian, and tempts fate by breaking the rules. When he looks the other way instead of punishing her, she discovers a new world. The more she ventures into the forbidden, the more she learns of love and a freedom just out of reach. Serena longs for both. But in a society where women are only ever property, hoping for more could be deadly.

My Review:



If I could erase all of my memories of reading You Are Mine, I would. That way, I could read it for the first time again, and fall just as deeply in love. I was completely blown away by the novel. An absolutely stunning debut, I could not stop reading until I reached the very end.

Written beautifully, the story will captivate readers from the very beginning, in which you are taken directly to the center of a new world. Suspenseful, beautiful and engaging, the novel is sure to give an amazing experience.

You Are Mine brings up many important themes and ideas from history - with topics such as discrimination, sexism, and what we consider to be backward thinking. They are delivered in a way that still allows for a fictitious story that entertains, while also showing the seriousness of these issues and giving the reader a lot to think about. The fact that one can connect a lot of the discriminatory points from the novel to real life is a bit frightening, but adds to the message of the novel.

I absolutely fell in love with the characters in You Are Mine. The distinctions between good and evil, right and wrong that are developed in them are downright brilliant. The characters have so many delicious layers, it is refreshing when not everyone is so predictably as they seem. Serena is an excellent protagonist and voice for the novel. She is a character that the reader can connect with and look up to. And what fun is a YA novel without a swoon-worthy male? Luckily, You Are Mine delivers, because Zade definitely fits the bill.

With enchanting magic, gruesome beliefs, and a plot that will have you antisocial for the day, You Are Mine is no disappointment. While it will appeal to readers of novels like Lauren DeStefano's Chemical Gardens trilogy, You Are Mine still uniquely sets itself apart from other YA novels.

I highly recommend reading Falor's You Are Mine. Readers will surely fall in love with the novel as much as I did.