Arson By Estevan Vega Review #50

Author: Estevan Vega
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Release Date: May 4th, 2010
Thanks To: Estevan Vega for copy
Pages: 318
Rating:

ARSON GABLE FEELS LIKE A FREAK. HE CAN CREATE FIRE. HE NEVER ASKED FOR IT. HE NEVER WANTED IT. BUT HE CAN'T SHUT IT OFF.
Before now, three things were true: he both loved and despised his grandmother; his life was going nowhere; and he was alone. But when a strange girl-who feels more normal behind a mask than inside her own skin-moves in next door, Arson hopes to find something he's never had: purpose. Using what he fears the most about himself, Arson must face his consuming past and confront the nightmare that is present as he walks the fine line between boy and monster. Dark, moody, and breathtakingly relevant, Arson, the chilling chronicle of an isolated boy with unimaginable ability, is sure to ignite the hearts and minds of a new generation.

A thrilling ride, that has some realistic look at life. When I first received Arson in the mail, I wasn't sure what to expect. The story was very different, then what I imagined it to be. But in the end, that made me very happy.

Even though Arson has a bit of paranormal elements to it, it's a very good look at some problems that some people might face in life. Whether your the adults or kids. One of the situations in the story, that a character named Emery faces, was a bit like something that happened to me awhile back. Because of that, I really understood Emery's POV. She was the character in the book, who I was the most attached to. More so, then Arson. But I believe, that how the author handled the problem was a bit unbelievable. Whereas Arson's Grandmas dilemma, was totally realistic. It was also the most emotional/believable part of the book.

An intriguing thing about this story, was it reminded me of Beauty and the Beast. Mainly Robin Mckinley's version. In her version she characterizes Beauty (Belle) as a girl who is insecure about herself, and the Beast doesn't understands why. For he sees her true Beauty. In Arson, Emery wears a mask and Arson considers himself a monster. But even when Emery develops as a character, he is able to see her true beauty. Which I thought was pretty interesting. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale of all time. And I don't know if this is true, but I'm sensing that one of the messages that Arson is trying to communicate is: "Beauty is more than skin deep". Which is a very true statement!

The novel is told in third person, which was a nice touch. It was great to see the different takes on each situation. Estevan Vega is a wonderful author, and Arson most definitely shows that. From the way he writes to the way he takes a situation and turns it into something authentic. But even though the novel was relevantly fast pace and sustained my interest, there were a few things that I thought could of been more developed. The biggest problem I had with the novel was the dialogue. At times it felt unbelievable, and because of that it was hard to connect with the characters. Especially between Emery and Arson. The only other thing that I thought could of been more fleshed out was Arson's powers. They were a bit hard to imagine.

I enjoyed the realism in Arson and how it was captured so perfectly. The ending was the best, most exciting part. And something tells me that Arson's sequel will be more based on paranormal, then the first book. The ending will have you literally craving for more, it won't leave your mind. And the best part is, you don't see the ending coming. It's a total plot twist, which made me love this book even more.

So everyone is this one your wish list? Cause if it's not, then you should most certainly add it. You won't be disappointed.

Yours Truly,