‘I ate his liver with some fava beans’ on Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Slice of Cherry

When I think serial killer, the first thing that comes to mind is often Hannibal Lector. Hence the awesome quote. It’s not often that I read Young Adult where the main characters are Dexter-esque serial killers. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that Dia Reeves’ writing is unlike any other in the YA-world. In Slice of Cherry, Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters whose father was put on death row for being the Bonesaw Killer. You can infer what he did. In Portero,life moves differently than where you or I may be from. With weird creatures, doors that lead to places more sinister than Narnia, Portero is weird. As walking cliche, I’d like to state that the bonds of sisterhood are TESTED, when Kit decides that maybe she wants more than Fancy in her life.

Can I get a raise the roof (because I am elderly) for YA that deviates from the norm? I love that this book took such a twisted and dark path. I love that we learned up front that the girls were serial killers rather than be sucker punched with it later. I love that for the most part the book focused on the relationship between sisters as opposed to romantic relationships. Although, there were romantic relationships, just they were a side factor and not the entire book.

Aside from the murdering, the whole main theme of Slice of Cherry is change. Whether one is changing or resisting. Through Kit, we see her character go from acting the child, to being a mature young woman, interested in romantic love and sex and having attachments with people who are not Fancy. On the other hand, there is Fancy. She has this fear of things being different. When things don’t go as she is used to, she basically has an insane reaction, killing and such. She does not let other people get close to her, not even a potential love interest. I mean, it’s interesting because although she’s like 14, she dresses and acts like she is six for most of the book, including playing with dolls/toys. I just find that fascinating, the binary between the two sisters, one ready to grow, the other afraid and steadfast in her sameness.

I quite liked Reeves writing style. I wasn’t spoon-fed anything, and this was one of those books that I read after reading adult books. I never felt the dumb-down-disconnect that I occasionally feel. I will say this book is long, and if you have a life outside of reading and your blog, it will probably be a week-long investment, however, if you want to read something that is slightly outside the norm, read Slice of Cherry, it’s worth the week.

My only real complaint was the awkward sex/hook-up scenes. I’m not a prude or anything OBVIOUSLY, I mean hello, obviously I’m not a 40 year old virgin book blogger. But, good lord, those scenes.

Also, finally, I haven’t read Bleeding Violet yet. I can tell you it’s not necessary to read Bleeding Violet before Slice of Cherry. I wasn’t confused and the world of Portero is easy to slip into. Just sit back and enjoy the read.

Disclosure: Book Received For Review.

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Tagged as: Book Review, horror, Simon And Schuster, Young Adult

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April (Books&Wine) – who has written 1074 posts on Good Books And Good Wine.

April is 24 years old. She is an educator. In her free time she can be found reading, working out, or eating junk food. She often wears her sunglasses at night.

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