Book Review: Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

Sweetly by
Jackson Pearce
Publisher:Little Brown for Young Readers
Pages: Hardcover,312 pages
Young Adult
Date Published:
August 23 2011
Source: Publisher
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Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

REVIEW:
     Once upon a time  there was a boy named Hansel and a girl named Gretel.... Or so we thought.  Sweetly is the companion novel to the Sisters Red. It follows Gretchen and her brother Ansel as they journey to the small town of Live Oak after being kicked out by their evil step mother.The story begins in a forest where  Gretchen , her twin sister and Ansel are being chased by something. Lets just say  it has yellow eyes and loves to eat children. From that point on the book is full of interesting mysteries which will keep you on the edge of your seat till the very end and make you want some more of this delicious book.
     First Im going to talk about the two main characters. Gretchen is an almost 18 year old girl who wants to be her own person and stand out from the crowd. Along the whole journey she is searching for a new identity to separate her from the sister she lost. She is a sweet person but can be tough at times. She and her brother Ansel are almost connected at the hips until they arrive in Live Oak. Ansel will go to great lengths to protect his sister. They are both turned into social outcast (You will find out why) in their old school but when they arrive in Live Oak they begin to have a sort of normal life.
     Jackson Pearce's writing was absolutely amazing. She was very descriptive in every aspect of the story. She included humor (that was actually funny) and mystery that would have your brain twisting and turning as you journey through the book. The characters had a distinct and strong voice. I could actually feel the emotions jumping off the page from the characters. Jackson created life like characters that weren't perfect by any means but normal.
     Overall Sweetly was an amazing read and I encourage you all to give it a try. If you want a book that contains both action, mystery, and a splash of romance Sweetly is the book for you. It will have you begging for a next book or companion like children begging for sweet candy on Halloween. So go and pick it up.