Conjured

✔ Witness Protection Program<br />✔ Magic<br />✔ Serial killer<br /><br />Let's be honest, this book had "Khanh Bait" written all over it. However, after reading the story, I cannot say that this is a book I would recommend. <b>The writing is lovely, the descriptions and use of the carnival imagery will delight all fans of circus-themed things, but unfortunately, it failed to deliver on all three selling points.</b> The use of the three items which I mentioned were completely arbitrary; besides the inclusion of magic, there was little relevance and mention of the serial killer or portrayal of Witness Protection Program that I had hoped to get.<br /><br />This is going to be a messy review because it's so hard for me to parse through my thoughts for a book of this nature. It felt so utterly disorganized. The plot was long-winded, confusing, and nonsensical. This book reminded me a lot of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12665819-another-little-piece" rel="nofollow noopener">Another Little Piece</a> in its surrealism and the massive wtf-ery of its plot.<br /><br />I'm not going to summarize the book because to do so beyond the jacket summary would be to spoil it, and it would ultimately be a Herculean feat for me to try, because I honestly had no idea what was going on for the latter half of the book. The first half was extremely slow and ultimately plotless; we are introduced to some supporting characters, namely the smart-aleck of an insta-love interest Zach, and the strangely inhuman (and supposedly intriguing) trio of Aiden, Victoria, and Topher, <b>none of whom I felt contributed anything of significance or interest to the plot</b>.<br /><br />I came into this book with high expectations. I know the real premise of the Witness Protection Program is not a pleasant experience. All the secrecy, all the sacrifices involved, not to mention the danger of having one's covers blown and having one's life endangered...it's harrowing.<br /><br />Still, I can't help but be fascinated. I especially love reading about teenagers in YA fiction involved in this program, imagining adjusting to a new life as a sullen, unwilling teenager. A normal move across cities, across states is traumatic enough to a teen, but becoming a whole new person? This sort of premise is so much more interesting for me as viewed from the psychological and behavioral standpoint of a teenager. It is a fascinating idea, and I absolutely jumped at the opportunity of reading this book.<br /><br />So, how well did it live up to the task and my expectations? <b>It didn't</b>. How the main character Eve adjusts to a new life, new schools, a new identity, was nonexistent. For one thing, this book took place in summer...translation: no school. Even so, Eve's interactions with others are so limited as to make me question the reason for her involvement within the program at all. <b>The premise of the Witness Protection Program was nonexistent; the danger was not made evident enough for me to feel there was a purpose for its inclusion in the book as a selling point</b>.<br /><br />Eve was a highly unsatisfying character. Her amnesia was really a plot device that I struggled with. Huge chunks of memory of her present life is missing. The narrative jumps around, whether it's days missing, or weeks missing, or months missing, we're not sure because of the unreliability of the narrator. It really frustrated me that I could not see what is going on in her life and how she was actually dealing with being in the WitSec program.<br /><br />Due to the nature of her amnesia, Eve is completely devoid of personality. She has had to relearn language, writing, the basics of everyday life, even terminology like "bread" versus "bagel." <b>My problem is not that Eve does not remember the remnants of her previous personality, it is that throughout the book, she develops no personality of her own</b>. The premise of the Witness Security Program (WitSec) in which she is enrolled might as well not have been there. In the beginning, we're shown how she has to learn her new identity, how she is given a history...and that's it. Eve interacts with so few people outside of her WitSec circle that the aspects of what I wanted to read about was nonexistent.<br /><br /><b>Eve is so utterly passive as a character</b>. Few people are nice to her, and her "Aunt" Nicki (read: Agent in charge of "babysitting" her) is a complete jerk. People are clearly hiding shit from Eve. There are all sorts of intimidating Men-In-Black type telling her what to do, how to act, being condescending and patronizing and just plain ANGRY at her because Eve cannot remember what it is that she is supposed to remember. Instead of standing up to herself, instead of demanding some sort of answer, taking some darned initiative...Eve just stands there feeling really sorry for herself, and so utterly apologetic that she can't deliver the answers that the Big Honchos want to hear. I just wanted her to grow a backbone. She finally does, but her actions ended up being utterly unbelievable, capricious, and unsupported by rationality. She was not a character I enjoyed at all.<br /><br />Of all the characters in this book, I ultimately ended up loving the agents the most. Malcolm is a sweetheart, and I loved his relationship with Eve. (and he's black! Yay for diversity!) I started off disliking Nicki, who was the personification of passive-aggressive bitchiness. However, her character grew more complex and eventually became someone with whom I sympathized, unlike the rest of the cast, who were utterly forgettable.<br /><br />The love story of Eve and Zach didn't interest me. For one thing, Zach is not a character that I found attractive, he is a smart-alecky type of boy, one of those smooth-tongued types who go off spouting factoids at you all day long and just never seem to fucking shut up. Right after meeting Eve, literally within seconds, this is what he says to her: <b>"I think it's a shame that it's customary to shake hands upon greeting when what I really want to do is kiss your lips and see if you taste like strawberries."</b> He is too glib, too smooth, Zach comes off more as a wise-cracking fool than a character I could relate to.<br /><br /><b>The book promised me danger, excitement, magic: it promised me a serial killer, who was, for the majority of the book, completely absent</b>. There was no sense of jeopardy, no blood, nothing that stimulated me. A few mentions of a serial killer chopping people up doesn't cut it for me, no pun intended. The word "killer" doesn't even emerge until a third of the book is through, and I honestly had no idea why Eve had to go into hiding and remain in such secrecy besides her vague and largely useless demonstrations of magic. Making forsythias bloom out of season, making birds fly off wallpapers, changing eye colors. The use of magic in this book is whimsical and flimsy, it did not deliver to my expectations; there was largely no purpose to the inclusion of magic and largely no point to it.<br /><br />The book took far, far too long to reach any level of excitement. The book seemed to pick up a lot at the halfway point, but even though there was a lot of excitement and a lot of things going on, nothing made sense to me. There are a ridiculous number of things that went unexplained, and the world-building of the big reveal, while beautiful...just didn't make any sense. <b>It wasn't until 95% of the book, in which things are literally spoon-fed to us in the form of an expository trial that I finally went "Oh! So that's what was happening."</b> This is not good, guys.<br /><br />In short: good writing, beautiful descriptions and use of carnival/circus imagery, but not recommended due to the nonsensical and uncompelling plot.<br /><br /><i>I received a copy of this book for review through Netgalley. The quotes used in this review are taken from an e-galley and is subject to change in the final edition.</i>

Technically this book is YA, but any adult who denies it to her/himself for that reason will be missing something incredible. Technically it's also fantasy, but there's a touch of science fiction. Technically it's also a mystery thriller, but without the other elements it wouldn't have left me tied up in knots and speculating through a session of having my backbone stretched where the *h*ell* Sarah was going with this. I never, NEVER would have figured it out; neither will you. When you do find out each and every surprise in this book, I hope you will be as blown away as I am.<br /><br />Eve is a girl without a past, with only shreds of a memory, with no knowledge of what she likes to eat, how a seatbelt works, what she can do in the everyday world, how she can do some very odd things, why she forgets so much, and why Malcolm and Aunt Nicki have placed so many rules and restrictions on her life. We know what witness protection is, but Eve doesn't. We also know what magic is, but Eve isn't sure. She doesn't know why Aunt Nicki isn't kind to her but Malcolm is, what the fifth floor means, and where her visions come from. Who are the Magician and the Storyteller? The only persons she trusts are Malcolm and her exuberant, frank, charming co-worker Zach--but could Eve be leading danger to them?<br /><br />Okay, I can't write anything else without spoilers. Readreadread this book, please! I don't say this because Sarah Beth Durst is my friend. I say it because she has knocked me butt over teakettle.

I can't take this book anymore. The plot is going nowhere and doesn't seem to be picking up anytime soon. Nothing but confusion, and there is nothing that's grabbing my attention. <br /><br />DNF @16% may seem early on to quit but at this point its grating on my last nerve.

Eve can't remember who she is or where she's from, but there are government agents with her, protecting her. They say that her mind holds the key to solving the case(s) of a serial killer, but she can't even remember her own parents. How is she going to help save others when she can't even recall what happened last week? And, why is she able to make birds fly out of wallpaper? That's not normal... is it?<br /><br /><i>Conjured</i> is a fluffy, young adult fantasy that tip-toes around the horror genre but, mainly, remains safely in the real world of amnesia and teenage angst. This book suffers from a glacial pacing but the mystery part of the story really took me by surprise. As I mentioned, the horror elements in this story are minimal but there are some brief and not terribly graphic descriptions of blood, mental anguish, bondage, imprisonment, physical violence, and creepy circus folk.<br /><br />My favorite parts of this book happened during Eve's blackout moments or visions. They read like scary fairy tales: <i>"It always begins with 'once upon a time,' my dear. That is how it is, even if 'once upon a time' is now." Gnarled hands separate the strands of my hair and wind them around knuckles. "A witch...for of course there was a witch. There always is, isn't there? She had stars in her eyes and dust in her hair. She heard the sounds of the forest when she moved and the ocean when she spoke."</i> pg 14 ebook. The visions set the tone of this story. They're like nightmares for Eve- profoundly disturbing, but not real. Or are they?<br /><br />I loved that Eve took a job as a library assistant. The craziest things happen at the library but it was also a place of safety for her when she couldn't remember anything else: <i>"Libraries... they're the places with stories," Eve said. Closing her eyes, she tried to summon up a memory of a library. Shelves of books. Sunlight falling across a table. She saw spiral stairs. It could have been a real place, or Malcolm could have shown her a picture at some point. It felt like a real place."</i> pg 17, ebook<br /><br />The extraordinarily slow unfolding of Eve's background was frustrating: <i>"You can't do any magic here. There is no magic in this world- that's why this place is safe for you." She held her face still. Another hint about her past. He had told her so much in those few sentences, more than he'd ever told her before. There is no magic in this world, she thought. I'm from another world?</i> pg 21, ebook. I don't know... you tell me!<br /><br />The teenage love story in <i>Conjured</i> is cute and very John Green-esque: <i>"Because when I'm with you, I feel whole," he said. "Because with you, life doesn't feel brutish and short. It feels beautiful... and short."</i> pg 176 ebook.<br /><br />So, if you can tolerate an extremely slow reveal, pick up <i>Conjured</i>. Some read-alikes: <i>The Night Circus</i> by Erin Morgenstern (circus themes, slow story) or <i>Archivist Wasp</i> by Nicole Kornher-Stace (a girl is asked by a ghost to help him find someone he's lost).

I can honestly say I've never read a book like this before. This one is a slow burn and you won't know exactly what's going on until you get into the last third of the story, but once you do, it's a surprising turn of events entirely unexpected. I really love how the magic works. My favorite scene was the paper birds.

Maybe I should have read the reviews for this book before reading it. That would have not wasted my time on this book. At the beginning it seemed interesting and then........ I hated it.(like wow you ruined what-could-have-been a good really good book). The book was missing all the action, exciting danger and serial killer moments. Instead I'm left with a book, filled with boredom. The only exciting part in this book was at the very end. Not even the part when killer was chopping up bodies all those bodies got me excited. Even the characters in this book got me annoyed. I was promised reading about magic.... well I didn't that. All I got was a girl making birds come out from her wallpaper(like that's really how your going to use your magical powers). Plus half the things in this book wasn't explained until the very end (like really I have to read the end of the book to find out about a simple thing). In the end I was just really disappointed and thought that I was going to read a good book.... but I guess not.

I've been a big fan of Sarah Beth Durst since her debut novel, <i>Ice</i>. Since then, I always look forward to anything this women writes. Her stories are always so full of life, bursting with imagination and cunning creativity and always so much fun to lose myself within these pages. Once again, Durst brings out the larger then life quality she pours into her books, with her newest novel, <b>Conjured</b>. Only, this time she took it one step further, bringing in an animated cast and story line fit for a magical mystery and whimsical journey of self-discover, power and truth.<br /><br />To be honest, this story line is very different then anything I've read from Durst before. I've read magic in books before, but the way this was delivered was unusually unique, unpredictably strange and evasively written. Some may say that this was confusing and even frustrating, and well, they'd be right, and yet I still found myself mesmerized by this odd little book with even odder characters. But I figured out something while reading. I think that this book isn't meant to be read from just Eve's point of view, but actually read <i>through</i> her. Once I got that mind-set, It was easier to be invested with Eve's story right till the very end and appreciate Durst vivid vision and delicious dedication to making this book standout in a creepy, crafty and clever way.<br /><br />This plot is more then a typical story about a girl named Eve who has no memories. She's lost and broken in every way possible. All Eve knows at this point is that she has a new face and a new body and that she's been in the witness protection program for months, hiding from someone or something. She knows that Malcolm is kind and considerate and that 'Aunt' Nicki thinks she's a waste of perfectly good space. She knows that she can't remember and has to be taught the basics of everyday functions; objects, places and people. She also loses time and has problems with her short term memory. When she does finally remember something it's in the form of flashes of unhinged visions of an eerie carnival, a story-teller and a madman, that is followed every time she does something magical. Magic, yes, Eve can do magic, but she doesn't know why or how.<br />Ever inch of this book is covered with questions and I constantly felt like I was missing something. The dialog read like I was already in the middle of whole conversations but not understanding the whole picture, back and forth banter, punch lines or the inside jokes. There were gaps of time that skips and jumps ahead which made this feel very disconnecting and peculiar, but still bizarrely intriguing. We are meant to be frustrated and confused right along with Eve. We are meant to learn with her. Eve seems to be the missing link. She's the answers to everything. The case, Zach, Aidan and even the deranged killer, but her own answers turned out to be very different and when we get to those revelations, everything about this odd little book will just click beautifully and disturbingly into place.<br /><br />I really enjoyed all of these characters. They were all eccentric and wonderfully weird in their own ways.<br />Eve is a child-like character that felt like she was in pieces throughout the entire story. Twisted and tormented by the horrific and strange visions that don't make any real sense, but it's the only thing real that she has. She doesn't know who she can trust or believe in and who is really out to help her or harm her. She's sweet and gentle and kind, but she's also determined and brave. Her story is a a sad one and my heart goes out to her.<br />Zach is a very random and boldly honest character who is very intense and passionate. He doesn't lie and later we find out why. The connection he has with Eve doesn't have any rhyme or reason to it. It just is. They give a whole new meaning to magical kisses and breathing each other in. They give us a reason to believe and hope and they made me smile.<br />Malcolm was one of my favorite characters. He greatly cared about what happened to Eve and it showed with every kind gesture. <br />Aidan was more a means to an end, but he played his part well and brought in conflicting emotions that stirred the story line perfectly.<br /><br />All in all, I had a lot of fun with this book. It's dark and twisted and it bends your mind and makes you believe in the impossible. It takes fantasy into that unknown dimension where everything and anything can happen. It's the stuff that makes Durst books great. She's not afraid to be daring and different and it shows with this extraordinary novel. Conjured is an entertaining and engaging escape fit for fans who like their books a little above abnormal but still just as amazing and fantastical as we come to expect from this wonderful talent. I look forward to seeing what Durst has in store for us next. Bravo!

Original review posted on <a href="http://thebooksmugglers.com/2013/09/book-review-conjured-by-sarah-beth-durst.html" rel="nofollow noopener">The Book Smugglers</a><br /><br />Eve doesn’t recognise the face when she looks in the mirror, she has no true memory of her past and can barely function in the present. Everything – from walking and talking to understanding how the world works is all new to her. She’s been told she has lost her memory. She’s been told she is in a witness protection program for paranormal creatures, hiding from a creepy serial killer who is out to get her. She’s been told she is the key to find him and to stop his killing spree. She’s been told she needs to remember before it is too late and more young kids disappear. She’s been told she can trust the people who are helping her even if they look at her with distaste and mistrust.<br /><br />She’s been told.<br /><br />There are certain things she knows though. She knows she has undergone several reconstructive surgeries. She knows she can do magic – she looks at the mirror one day and decides that her eyes were actually green before and just like that, they are changed. She knows that every time she uses her magic, she passes out and has horrifying dreams (or are they visions?) always featuring a carnival tent, a magician, a storyteller and creepy dolls. When she wakes up after those black-outs she realises that days or sometimes even weeks have passed and she has no short-term memory of those moments.<br /><br />Conjured is a beautifully constructed novel that goes from utterly disorienting to exceptionally horrific as its story progresses. It features an ubber-creepy carnival, a supernatural serial killer and an amnesic narrator. But its true core is a story about agency and identity and what it is like to forge both when there is no memory, no past, no sense of true self to start with.<br /><br />It is more or less divided in two parts: the first is a progressive build-up to the revelations that appear in the second part. The former, a disorienting advance toward the truth about Eve, the latter an affecting horror story unlike anything I have read of late.<br /><br />What impresses me the most about the novel is Eve as a character and the writing of her narrative. Since everything is from her point of view, we only ever know what Eve knows and she knows very, very little. When she wakes up with no memory, we are as lost as she is, not knowing who to trust, what happened in the past days or weeks. It is not only disorienting but also claustrophobic.<br /><br />More to the point though, I loved how the author took such a gamble with Eve because she is essentially a blank slate narrator. To start with, she has little personality and no agency. And it is very interesting to see the way that the character progresses, not knowing who she is, what she can do, and what happened to her. Which is awesome because I sometimes feel that “strong female character” is often compared to kickass and immediately assertive so it is kind of a breath of fresh air to have a character like Eve who is developing her sense of self slowly and who is a quiet, timid character without being any less strong for that. When the second part comes and the deeply cruel, creepy and dark nature of her story is finally revealed, we come to have not only a deep understanding of why Eve is like she is and how important it really is when she finally voices her choice and forges her own sense of self.<br /><br />All of this was superb: from the puzzling narrative to the development of Eve as a character, from her visions and fear to the creepily awesome horror in the latter part.<br /><br />My only real misgiving about the novel comes with its romantic storyline and I confess to be on two minds about it. On the one hand, there is an element of insta-love as Eve has an almost immediate connection to a boy named Zach whom she meets at the library where she is sent to work. I was immediately put off by Zach when as soon as he met Eve she told her point-blank that they could never be friends because he wanted to kiss her. Okay, then.<br /><br />On the other hand, Zach turn out to be a nice boy, who never lies (there are Reasons) and who is completely loyal to Eve. It is yet another breath of fresh air to have the guy be so besotted and awed to the point of being ready to drop everything for the girl – as abrupt as that turns out to be. The ending though is kind of perfect for them and for this story in the way that it is flawed and even perhaps, questionable.<br /><br />Ultimately, this book is All About Eve and I really loved it, just as it is.

<img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380433530i/872456._SX540_.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br>An ambitious, visually dazzling and completely breathtaking literary triumph - Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst is an absolute must-read for any paranormal fantasy fan out there. This book makes for an extremely compelling, refreshing and emotionally engaging journey - one that you'll want to re-take time and time again. It's entirely unique. It's seamlessly plotted. It's dark and creepy, yet mesmerizing and magical at the same time. Hands down one of my top favorite books ever.<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380433530i/872457._SX540_.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br>Conjured is a gorgeously told story - one that explores themes of identity, belonging, destiny and love. Reading it was a truly magical experience. I was mesmerized and amazed every step of the way. I loved everything about this book - the luscious detail in which the carnival backdrop was described, the horror of Eve's dreams and visions, the hidden symbolism and the perfectly satisfying ending. This tale was both uplifting and heartbreaking, sad and wonderfully hopeful. Full of meaning. I loved how new and fresh everything felt - I've never read anything like it before! Every page of Conjured shines with creativity and uniqueness. <br><br> The plot line itself was incredibly well thought out and gripping. I did not want to stop reading. I loved the mystery behind Eve's character and how it slowly unravelled through visions and dreams. Many aspects of this tale were downright scary - like the magician-turned-serial-killer who would cut his victims into pieces and then keep their remains in special boxes, or Eve's disturbing memories resurfacing while she was unconscious - but there were also other aspects of it that were incredibly beautiful, meaningful and moving. Some of them were positive and heart-warming, others.. simply tragic. The complexity of this story was at times overpowering (in a good way) and I felt heavy with so many feelings and emotions this story brought on.<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380433530i/872458._SX540_.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br>Durst' heroines are always fierce, tough, clever and persistent - like Pearl, the kick-ass vampire girl with a conscience who has to save an entire town from being slaughtered, or Liyana, the girl who has to sacrifice her own life and dreams in order for her tribe to survive. They're always three dimensional, intelligent, witty and relatable. You meet them, you get to know them and you end up caring for them, like they're not just characters in a book, but real life people. And Eve is no exception. She's a mystery to everyone, including herself - lost and scared, and yet determined to discover who she really is and why her memories are so important to the people protecting her. She's special and different, and there's a shocking secret in her past... <br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380433530i/872459._SX540_.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br>Sarah Beth Durst is incredibly talented. I am a huge fan of hers - always ready to drop everything else to read her new book the moment I get my hands on it. Seriously, no one does it better. She doesn't rewrite old tales, she creates all her stories, settings and characters from scratch. Her world and character building skills are top notch and her books deserve to be loved, cherished and raved about. I can't wait to see what other stories she'll pull out of her magical hat!<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380433530i/872460.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy">

Okay, wow. Wow.wow.wow.wow.<br /><br />Wow.<br /><br />I know Sarah Beth Durst. I met her shortly after her first book (INTO THE WILD) and mine came out, and I've followed her wonderful career ever since. Every one of her books has been something different, and but they are always, ALWAYS, good.<br /><br />And then came CONJURED.<br /><br />Sweet fancy Moses.<br /><br />I mean, this might very well be her best book yet. Much as I love ICE, there was something about this book that really went . . . okay, this book is off the rails. In a good way. It's wonderful and creepy and intense. Towards the end something happens that made me actually shriek "WHAT?!" out loud, scaring my toddler. So well written, so inventive, I've never read anything like it. It did remind me of CORALINE, but yet it's . . . different. <br /><br />So different.<br /><br />And also, "WHAT?!" <br /><br />PS - Speaking of Neil Gaiman, if you are a fan of his All Hallows Reads (where you buy to gift or read a creepy Halloween-ish book), this would be my pick! For teens and older.