Review: Made For You by Melissa Marr

Made for You

Author: Melissa Marr

Series: -

Pages: 368

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release date: 16^th September 2014

Amazon – TBD

Synopsis: (Goodreads)

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.

Review: 4 out of 5 stars

When I received an offer from Melissa Marr’s assistant to read Made for You I jumped at the chance! It has been high on my wish-list for a while and it didn’t fail to disappoint.

At the beginning of the book we meet Eva Tilling who wakes up in the hospital after being hit by a car and left for dead but not only does she need to question why someone would want to hit her she finds that she has also awoken with the strange ability to foresee people’s deaths.

The plot was mysterious and I enjoyed reading along trying to work out who wanted to hurt the very popular and well-liked Eva, I was clueless in the end but I loved the element of suspense and the twists and turns we are given along the way with cryptic clues, things at times were a little chilling.

Eva was a realistic character, she wasn’t without her flaws but she was likeable. When her path crosses with her childhood friend Nate, she is surprised he is there to support her after an extended length of time spent ignoring her but his life hasn’t been too easy. I liked Nate and the way in which he supported Eva; we also get a small amount of romance but it definitely wasn’t at the forefront of the story.

The side characters were great; Eva’s best friend Grace was wonderful, she’s the friend everyone needs to have. The killer was developed well, he was seriously messed up! I enjoyed all of the characters interactions and the pivotal role they each played in the overall story and it was nice to see Eva’s parents present.

Made For You is written well and kept me entertained from the very first page, told from three different POV’s it was nice to get insight into Eva, Grace and the Judge - killer’s thoughts. The paranormal element was done well.

Overall, Made For You is a thrilling mystery with wonderful characters and an engaging storyline – highly recommended.

About the author: Melissa grew up believing in faeries, ghosts, and various other creatures. After teaching college lit for a decade, she applied her fascination with folklore to writing.

Melissa writes fiction for adults, teens, and children. Her books have been translated into 28 languages to date and been bestsellers in the US (NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal) as well as various countries overseas. She is best known for the Wicked Lovely seriesfor teens and Graveminder for adults.  

Wicked Lovely was her first novel; it was simultaneously released in the US and UK by HarperCollins in 2007 (with translation rights also sold in twenty-some countries). It debuted as a NY Times Bestseller and evolved into a multi-book series with myriad accolades and international bestseller lists.  

Her debut adult book, Graveminder, released to strong critical reception in 2011.  Following that she has edited anthologies with Kelley Armstrong (Enthralled and Shards & Ashes) and with her friend Tim Pratt (Rags & Bones), and released a second adult novel (The Arrivals) in 2013.  

With Kelley Armstrong, Melissa is the co-author of the Blackwell Pages trilogy (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), a children’s series about the Norse myth of Ragnarök. 

Her upcoming HarperCollins 2014 release, Made For You, utilizes both her graduate degree in Southern Literature and her personal experience with stalkers in a story about a killer who terrorizes a small North Carolina town.

Her first picture book (Bunny Roo) will be released in 2015. 

Currently, Melissa resides in Virginia with her spouse, children, and many dogs.