Vixen by Jillian Larkin
Series: The Flappers
Publisher: Ember, 2010
Genre: Romance
Sub-genre: Historical, YA
Rating: 4 pints of blood
You're either going to love this cover or find it completely forgettable. It does a wonderful job letting you know exactly what you're in for picking the book up, though. Dramatic lighting, rich textures, and a collection of gorgeous 1920s trends displayed for the gaze of someone with the sensibilities from nearly a century later... and, arguably, yet another example of a YA novel with a dead girl.
I have a distinct fondness for the 1920s, though, so the cover appealed to me, as did the premise. Come on, the series is called "The Flappers!" How could I resist?
The story revolves around three young high society women in Chicago. Gloria has always been the good girl, the society darling. Now engaged to a man who expects a wife to be seen and not heard, she wants a chance to explore the glamourous underworld of society, the speakeasies and jazz and dancing. Her fiance would never allow it, but surely if he never finds out, it can't do any harm.
Her best friend, Lorraine, has always been the daring one, and has already begun dipping her toes in the rebellious flapper world. It's one way to set herself apart from Gloria, who she feels has always outshone her. But keeping one step further than her best friend in the world of jazz and booze might not be as easy as Lorraine thinks, and it might even be her undoing.
Gloria's cousin Clara has come to Chicago to escape her dark past, and has determined to turn over a new leaf by portraying herself as a sheltered girl from the country. The ghosts she's fleeing don't want to stay where she left them, though, and soon her secrets threaten to spill out and destroy the new life she's made for herself.
I should note here that Vixen (and presumably the rest of the Flappers series) is more of a far-reaching saga than a traditional romance, although the romance is a huge aspect. This isn't a book that promises happy endings, though, and it does take a few risks, especially for the time period the story's set in. One of the girls finds herself attracted to a black man, and the scandal and difficulties this would cause are not glossed over.
This is very much a character-driven novel and that's the main reason this book really pops. All three girls are dynamic characters, not always likeable but always three-dimensional enough to feel real. The chapters alternate between the three girls' perspectives, and together it adds up to a much fuller story than you'd get hearing from just one of them. The slow build may frustrate some readers, but I love something that can build up to a good simmer, especially when the book uses that time to let me get to know the world and the characters, giving me a reason to care when the tension ratchets up in the second half.
Unfortunately, while the three protagonists are well-drawn characters, the secondary characters are all pretty forgettable, even the romantic interest. (With the possible exception of Marcus, who was introduced early enough on there was time to get to know him.) Gloria's mother felt more like a caricature than a character, and while Gloria's fiance had another layer beneath the exterior he presented to the world, he remained predictible and flat. Really, everyone seemed to be there just as a backdrop for the three main characters, which is unfortunate because the dynamics Larkin did show prove she could have really given the book an extra set of teeth if more care had gone into the secondary characters.
It's obvious a lot of research went into the time period, and the references are endless. The lingo, the lifestyle, the fashion, the media and famous people... it's all in there, but it feels natural rather than being shoehorned in. Setting Vixen in the 1920s isn't a gimmick here; it would be impossible to separate this story from its setting and place it in the 1800s or the 1970s. The drama, glamour, and danger of the prohibition is here in full, and in a lot of ways it's as much a character as Gloria, Lorraine, or Clara.
It's not often that I read a book that feels like a luxury, but this is definitely one of them. I had a hard time putting it down, and I'm still kind of blinking my eyes, trying to get used to the light as I emerge from the seedy underworld depicted in Vixen.
Vixen is available in trade paperback
.
Publisher: Ember, 2010
Genre: Romance
Sub-genre: Historical, YA
Rating: 4 pints of blood
You're either going to love this cover or find it completely forgettable. It does a wonderful job letting you know exactly what you're in for picking the book up, though. Dramatic lighting, rich textures, and a collection of gorgeous 1920s trends displayed for the gaze of someone with the sensibilities from nearly a century later... and, arguably, yet another example of a YA novel with a dead girl.
I have a distinct fondness for the 1920s, though, so the cover appealed to me, as did the premise. Come on, the series is called "The Flappers!" How could I resist?
The story revolves around three young high society women in Chicago. Gloria has always been the good girl, the society darling. Now engaged to a man who expects a wife to be seen and not heard, she wants a chance to explore the glamourous underworld of society, the speakeasies and jazz and dancing. Her fiance would never allow it, but surely if he never finds out, it can't do any harm.
Her best friend, Lorraine, has always been the daring one, and has already begun dipping her toes in the rebellious flapper world. It's one way to set herself apart from Gloria, who she feels has always outshone her. But keeping one step further than her best friend in the world of jazz and booze might not be as easy as Lorraine thinks, and it might even be her undoing.
Gloria's cousin Clara has come to Chicago to escape her dark past, and has determined to turn over a new leaf by portraying herself as a sheltered girl from the country. The ghosts she's fleeing don't want to stay where she left them, though, and soon her secrets threaten to spill out and destroy the new life she's made for herself.
I should note here that Vixen (and presumably the rest of the Flappers series) is more of a far-reaching saga than a traditional romance, although the romance is a huge aspect. This isn't a book that promises happy endings, though, and it does take a few risks, especially for the time period the story's set in. One of the girls finds herself attracted to a black man, and the scandal and difficulties this would cause are not glossed over.
This is very much a character-driven novel and that's the main reason this book really pops. All three girls are dynamic characters, not always likeable but always three-dimensional enough to feel real. The chapters alternate between the three girls' perspectives, and together it adds up to a much fuller story than you'd get hearing from just one of them. The slow build may frustrate some readers, but I love something that can build up to a good simmer, especially when the book uses that time to let me get to know the world and the characters, giving me a reason to care when the tension ratchets up in the second half.
Unfortunately, while the three protagonists are well-drawn characters, the secondary characters are all pretty forgettable, even the romantic interest. (With the possible exception of Marcus, who was introduced early enough on there was time to get to know him.) Gloria's mother felt more like a caricature than a character, and while Gloria's fiance had another layer beneath the exterior he presented to the world, he remained predictible and flat. Really, everyone seemed to be there just as a backdrop for the three main characters, which is unfortunate because the dynamics Larkin did show prove she could have really given the book an extra set of teeth if more care had gone into the secondary characters.
It's obvious a lot of research went into the time period, and the references are endless. The lingo, the lifestyle, the fashion, the media and famous people... it's all in there, but it feels natural rather than being shoehorned in. Setting Vixen in the 1920s isn't a gimmick here; it would be impossible to separate this story from its setting and place it in the 1800s or the 1970s. The drama, glamour, and danger of the prohibition is here in full, and in a lot of ways it's as much a character as Gloria, Lorraine, or Clara.
It's not often that I read a book that feels like a luxury, but this is definitely one of them. I had a hard time putting it down, and I'm still kind of blinking my eyes, trying to get used to the light as I emerge from the seedy underworld depicted in Vixen.
Vixen is available in trade paperback
.