Nameless

April 29, 2013
St. Crow (the Strange Angels series) offers a darkly stylized version of Snow White in the first in a planned trio of fairy tale adaptations. As a child, Camille is found in the snow by the rich and powerful Vultusino family, one of seven vampire families who control New Haven. Battered, scarred, and for a time voiceless, she's taken in and raised as one of their own. Turning 16, Cami hears her name whispered from mirrors and suffers nightmares spawned by her forgotten past. The men in her life (loosely parallel to the seven dwarfs) want to protect her, but when Cami's past hunts her down, she has to draw on her own resilience. St. Crow offers a busy mashup of vampires, witches, werewolves, and mutated monsters, but Cami's strange yet vulnerable nature and a sinister undercurrent of danger provide steady intrigue. The author's highly visual storytelling combines fairy tale, horror, and gangster tropes (the Vultusinos are more Corleone than Cullen), yet makes the ubiquitous feel fresh. Ages 12âup. Agent: Miriam Kriss, Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

March 1, 2013
A "Snow White" retelling set in a relatively modern world bursts at the seams with magic and supernatural creatures. Cami, the pampered 16-year-old daughter of the Vultusino clan, isn't true Family, but a human girl adopted at a young age when Papa Vultusino rescued the badly abused child. She lives between worlds, going to school with other humans while socially involved in the world of the Seven, the most powerful and influential Families. Along with having no true place or past, her terrible stutter and passive, introspective nature deprive Cami of a true voice. Just as she comes to realize that her nightmares might be memories, Cami befriends the Vultusinos' new gardener, Tor, a boy with the same scars she bears. She unravels the dangerous mystery of her past to make peace with who she is. Fairy-tale motifs are not limited to Cami--her best friends Ellie and Ruby reference Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. This ambitious work makes a couple missteps: The prose aims for lush but sometimes stumbles into decadent, and the love interest is generically dark and sexy. More than compensating, the ambitious worldbuilding and alternate history are fully thought out and well-realized, sure to enchant readers patient enough to let them coalesce. A delicious treat for fairy-tale fans. (Urban fantasy. 12 & up)

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May 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up- Nameless is a twist on the Snow White story, but in an alternate world that is vaguely steampunk mixed with a bit of paranormalcy (vampires, fey, and other creatures) brought out by the incredible amount of blood spilled in World War I. A child is found at age six when she falls into the street in front of a car. She remembers nothing of where she was before that. Her rescuer is Family (vampiric mob), and Papa adopts her and names her Camille. She grows up wishing she knew her true heritage but feeling loved by the Vultusinos. She is scarred and still has nightmares, but never remembers the details. Her stutter encourages her silence. Nico, the son of the man who found her, has become her champion and best friend over the years. Her friends and her own strength will be needed as she turns 16 and begins to be hunted as well as haunted by those who tortured her as a child. St. Crow delivers a beautifully romantic yet creepy tale. The bits of the "Snow White" legend along with hints of other familiar tales are here, but only in their vaguest forms, allowing the author to paint an entirely new picture. The world-building is amazingly detailed, and she has built layers in both her characters and in the society they occupy. This story defies type as it's not merely a twisted fairy tale, nor is it simply another vampire love story... it is purely "other" and new.-Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ

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