Book:  The Frenzy
Author:  Francesca Lia Block
Published:  September 28, 2010 from HarperTeen
My edition/number of pages:  ARC/272

Age group:  Young adult
Source:  Boulder Book Store
Series?:  Nope. 

Liv has a secret.

Something happened to her when she was thirteen. Something that changed everything. Liv knows she doesn’t belong anymore—not in her own skin, not in her family . . . not anywhere. The only time she truly feels like herself is when she’s with her boyfriend, Corey, and in the woods that surround her town.

But in the woods, a mysterious woman watches Liv. In the woods, a pack of wild boys lurks. In the woods, Liv learns about the curse that will haunt her forever. The curse that caused the frenzy four years ago. And that may cause it again, all too soon.

While Corey and Liv’s love binds them together, Liv’s dark secret threatens to tear them apart as she struggles to understand who—or what—she really is. And by the light of the full moon, the most dangerous secrets bare their claws. . . .

I don’t know what to say about The Frenzy.  I did not like it at all but I don’t want to write a mean review.  It wasn’t necessarily that the book was that bad it was just that I didn’t like it.

Liv hasn’t known what she is since she was 13 years old.  At first she thought she was just different but then she realized that she might not even be fully human.  She doesn’t know what causes it and she has nobody to talk to about it.  Her boyfriend, Corey, and her best friend, Pace, know something is wrong but they have their own troubles too.  What is wrong with Liv?  And what does it mean for everyone else?

Liv was my first problem.  I didn’t feel like I could relate to her at all and I didn’t feel like I knew her.  I wanted more background about her.  Same with Pace and Corey.  They were just kind of there.  Pace had his own pretty big part in the book but it made absolutely no sense to me.  I had tons of questions about him when I finished the book.

The story itself was okay but not great.  The writing seemed disjointed and it took away from the story.  I would have liked more of the wolf aspect of the story but it didn’t actually play a big part.  The story seemed more about Liz’s way of dealing with her problem and it wasn’t very enjoyable.

Overall, Francesca Lia Block does not seem to be the author for me.  If you have liked her previous books you will probably enjoy this one.  A warning for younger teens though: there is sexula content.  If you don’t like that, don’t read this one.

First line:  At some point in everyone’s life they ask the question, “Who am I?”

Writing:  4

Characters:  3

Plot:  3

Ending:  4

Originality:  5

Overall:  19=C

Cover:  5=A++