Violet Grenade

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was truly excited for the chance to review this book! Victoria Scott has become quite one of my favorite authors since the day I read about her "bad boy" Dante Walker. Needless to say, the first blurb of the book had caught my attention long before the cover reveal.

"Violet Grenade" is the story of Domino a runaway girl who tries to survive in the streets of Detroit, along with Dizzy, her friend. When circumstances make Domino follow the elegant and mysterious Madam Karina to a house full of "artists", Domino will soon understand that nothing is at it seems.

Not to mention her secret.

For a reason, this book and its dynamics reminded my quite much of the movie "Sucker Punch". You know, the one with the kick-ass girls and the awesome special effects? I think this book could become such a movie (if it was ever optioned).Victoria Scott succeeded in creating a flawed, tortured character who doesn't lose her spark and sass despite her dire circumstances. Domino is resourceful, but with low self-confidence yet she makes friends, even has a love interest.

Cain? That giant of a shy boy was a nice surprise in this book! Like a Titan (pun intended!) he is strong, knows how to cook a hell of amazing eggs and bacon and he supports Domino with a quiet intensity.

While this book is a stand-alone I wouldn't mind a sequel. Or a spin-off. It is completed and quite satisfactory but, just like with Salt and Stone, I really want to read more about these characters! I enjoyed it and I recommend it as Victoria Scott knows also how to present social issues, like human trafficking.

I want to thank Netgalley, Entangled Publishing and Victoria Scott for giving me a chance to read this for an honest review...

OMG! What a strange little book! At first glance I figured it was one of those YA books that tells about a homeless girl seeking justice for her friend...BUT then....there is this turn of events that just shocks the hell out of me....an they kept coming!! I love it when a book keeps me guessing...

I can't wait to read other books by this author!!

I received this ARC from the publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

I’ve been a big fan of Victoria Scott ever since Dante first came onto the page! He was a fun kind of hero, who’s a bit bad and yet still lovable! Violet Grenade almost seems like it wouldn’t be my type of read, because where’s the paranormal? Where’s the fantasy? Where are the chills that thrillers so often pull from me? Well, in a way this book sort of works as a thriller in some sense, but not in the way you would usually think. All I can say is that I loved it!

Violet Grenade is a very dark kind of book, let me warn you, in case that isn’t your thing. It’s dark. Very dark. But it is still YA, so it’s not all slash and guts or anything! Domino is a runaway, she’s been on the streets for a few years now having escaped a life she longs to forget. Its past that’s too dark for her even to try to remember. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t, because she also has Wilson living in her head. Yup, you heard right! Wilson is Domino’s protector you could say. He shields her from all the bad things that happen so she doesn’t have to remember them all and he was also there when she had to live through them, but that comes about later on.

When Domino’s friend is arrested, she’s determined to pay his bail, but how’s a homeless girl without a high school diploma supposed to get a job. Those required background checks and social security numbers and since Domino ran away, she doesn’t want to be found again. Then in walks Madam Karina. An older woman with flare. She sees potential in Domino and offers her a job at her house, in her establishment. She would be able to make money and help out her friend. Domino is very artistically talented and it’s what drew Madam Karina’s eye to begin with. Seeing no other option, Domino agrees.

Here is where things start to get a little bit darker. Madam Karina runs a particular house. I wouldn’t call it one for prostitutes, though it’s pretty close. Here is a house filled with young women, girls like Domino, who entertain their customers in whatever way possible. With jokes, music, art, you name it. There’s a structure of hierarchy involved and Domino is bottom rung, but she soon will climb to the top. She will make the money she needs to help her friend and to help herself. What she wants most is a home of her own. But she’s soon going to learn that things aren’t always what they appear to be.

This book was dark. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book that had this level of darkness. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing either. I really enjoyed this book! I loved Domino’s character and how she was brave even without Wilson. She knows that her alter ego has a dark side and does terrible things. She tries to fight him on taking control even when she’s suffering at the hands of others who have no care for her being. The things that these girls did to Domino, that they would do to each other, is kind of sick. But I get it, despite all that. I just can’t believe that they would actually have comradery with one another when it seems everyone wants to become Top Girl.

I really liked the fact that despite the evil that was nearly all the girls, Domino is able to make friends with one, Poppy. Yeah, there are no ordinary names in this one, and I honestly liked that too! Poppy is sort of the simple girl, yet she’s the only one who shares a lick of kindness to Domino and is very genuine. Then there’s Cain, he works at the house too, but more as a serving boy instead of entertainer. He too has a dark past and it seems only warranted that he and Domino are drawn to one another. The romance was very subtle and hardly there, which I felt like was the right move for this particular story. Besides it makes those few small moments even more powerful.

The ending to this one was absolutely freaking perfect! I loved how explosive it was! And though the very end leaves a few things left unsaid, you can pretty much imagine what might happen next in those areas. While I would’ve loved to know what truly happens, I feel fine with the way things ended here. Violet Grenade is truly one of a kind! It’s one of the most exciting reads I’ve read this year and is sure to end up on my favorites list for the year too! This is one read you won’t want to miss!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars


Violet Grenade releases May 2, 2017

Violet Grenade is probably one of the best books that are coming out this year. It's a contemporary psychological thriller with an original idea behind it, compelling characters (most important of them all is Domino who is a kickass heroine, she was easy to connect to), an awesome story, and great writing on top of all. I had a hard time putting it down, I was too intrigued and needed to see what happened next.

“Violet Grenade” is the unique story of Domino, a young runaway who lives in abandoned houses in Detroit with her friend (and crush) Dizzy. Domino spends a lot of time hiding herself from the world, covering in wigs and thick makeup- and also trying to stay away from Wilson. Domino has dissociative identity disorder, due to traumatic experiences when she was younger, and Wilson is the personality that allows her to separate herself from those memories. Domino and Dizzy are out decorating a wall with spraypaint art when the police catch up to them and arrest Dizzy- Domino escapes. Not sure what to do without him and worrying that Dizzy’s claustrophobia will trouble him, Domino goes to the jail to try to pay his bail with all the money she has.

She quickly learns that it is not enough. Soon, she receives an offer from an enchanting woman, Madam Karina, to work at her home for artistic types and make money. Not seeing another option, Domino takes the job to make money to pay for Dizzy’s bail and get him out of jail. The job takes her to West Texas, where Madam Karina rules not only the house but also the small town surrounding. Madam Karina runs her house with levels, starting at carnations and rising to violets, the highest level below the “Top Girl.” At each level, you get to keep more of your profits. At each level, the interaction with customers changes. Domino soon has a new goal- to reach the top and be able to afford a home for herself- and the people for whom she is beginning to care.

The description of the home and the girls was really fascinating. Karina was also an interesting character, as she is desperate, manipulative, and commanding- she runs the house with some sense of love but mostly of possession of the girls but also demands their “love” (mainly loyalty/admiration) in return. She is also running a business and making profits off both clients and the girls. During this time, Domino is forced to confront her past, as the situations she is put in resemble some of her buried past and call for Wilson’s aid. She is threatened not only by Karina, but also the other girls and sometimes clients. She finds allies in Poppet, another carnation who is possibly one of the sweetest girls ever, and in Cain, the brooding young man with a secret past who works at the house.

This book is intense and never lets you breathe- I found myself unable to stop and am still thinking about it. The main characters are extremely well developed and complex- and the last 20% of the book was an incredible finale that would not let you go! It is, at the same time, somewhat surreal (the whole house situation in particular) and very real (particularly some of the characters). As a heads up, there are situations of sexual violence in the book- as well as physical violence and torture. This is not a light read, by any means; it’s emotional and incredibly intense.

Overall, I think it’s extremely well written and will be enjoyed by fans of Scott’s Fire and Flood series- it has a similar thriller feel though this one is more of a (really intense) psychological thriller. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

WHAT. JUST WHAT IS THIS AWESOMENESS.

For some reason i thought this book was taking place in the Victorian era and that it was a fantasy novel but it's actually a contemporary PSYCHOLOGICAL YA THRILLER.

Domino has been homeless for awhile and she lives with a friend named Dizzy. But when Dizzy gets taken in by the police and Domino doesn't have enough money to bail him out, she vows to do anything it takes to get the money and bail her only friend out, even if it means following up on Madam Karina's offer and joining the house of entertainers. But Domino does not expect the hierarchy of girls in the house nor does she expect the gentle and scared helper, Cain, who seems to be not so different from her than she'd first expected. But to bail Dizzy out, she can't stay in the lower class of girls, she'll have to work her way up to the top while dealing with jealous, dangerous and backstabbing girls that want nothing more than to stop her from moving up the ranks. But the longer she stays in the house, the more she realizes it won't be easy to leave and that she might not want to leave.

This book is a mass of darkness and awesomeness!!!! Do not expect dainty little flowers and strolls in the garden. EXCELLENT world building and plot, also what a gorgeous cover!!! It really was a thrill reading this book. And the author did an amazing job at keeping the suspense about Domino-throughout the book you're reminded that Domino has done bad things and that she's a monster but you don't know why until she eventually reveals it-and i honestly didn't see it coming. It was much darker than i'd initially expected. Each level of girls had their own personality and jobs, it was just so well imagined!!!

Domino was a very unusual character. She doesn't really let anyone in because she's scared they'll leave her so she could come off as a little cold. And the thing is, she truly believes she's a monster and even though Wilson helps to keep those memories away from her she can't escape them no matter how much she tries. She was brave, stubborn and loyal but she was a pretty intense character. And she loves wigs!!!!!I found that totally unique and cool that she wore hot pink and green wigs and she didn't care what anyone thought of her. She was a dreamer, she wanted to one day buy her own place and make a life for herself. I loved the way she clung to that dream through everything that happened.

Cain was a character that had been mentally manipulated a lot and it was sad because he was exuding power and yet he was reduced to this submissive helper who just allowed the girls to verbally abuse him. I liked that he didn't judge Domino because he had his demons too and he was her secret protector in the house. he was such a gentle giant!!

Madam Karina was an amazing antagonist though after everything i can't bring myself to hate her. She's as mentally scarred as the other characters but she took it to a much MUCH deeper level. But in the end it just rooted from her insecurities. I loved that she was charismatic enough to hold some kind of power over the girls and even Domino. It made them want to make her happy and she did feel a special connection to Domino.

Wilson-the voice inside Domino's head. Is he real or not!? It could be someone she created to shield herself from the terrible thing's she'd done, someone to protect her from her memories and her violent past. He was incredibly violent and always waiting to pounce on Domino so he could take over her body and give in to the rage and violence. Yet despite all that and his blood thirst he only wanted to protect Domino, that was his goal. To make sure no one hurt her which just fascinated me so much because we don't actually know if he is Domino or is he actually a totally different character? Nevertheless I LOVED HIM. LOVED HIM LOVED HIM LOVED HIM. Damn i wish i could spoil but there were these two pages in my kindle (you'll definitely know it when you see it) at the end that literally made me squeal like a maniac and shiver at the same time!!! The formatting of these two pages-DAMN it made an AMAZING effect..you'll know what i'm talking about as soon as you read it. Yeah so i love Wilson.

This whole book felt like a manipulation of minds and god was it awesome!!! All the characters in this book felt like time bombs and i was just waiting for one of them to mentally collapse and unleash hell!

Whew this was a long review sorry but i JUST NEEDED TO RANT. It's a standalone and definitely worth it!! I cannot wait till the hardcover comes out because i am SO buying this!!! RECOMMENDED TO EVERYONE.

This book was freaking awesome!!! Domino has been homeless for about a year and finds herself in a situation when her best friend is arrested, and she has no money to bail him out. She happens to run into this lady named Madam Karina who offers her a position at her home. Things aren't what they seem. There is a person inside Domino's head that has been restless for quite some time. His name is Wilson, and he was one crazy fellow! Was I supposed to like Wilson? I don't know, but I did!!!! I also loved Cain, Poppet and Angie. There were twists and turns and this book was awesome! Go. Read. It!