(Teardrop, #1)
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; 441 pages
Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.
But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away.
Teardrop was actually one of my most anticipated reads this year. I first found out about Lauren Kate's new young adult series at New York Comic Con 2012. So it's fitting that I read this book a few days before New York Comic Con 2013. I remember talking to the employees at Random House's booth, and gushing about how much I loved the Fallen series. They then informed me that she was working on a new young adult book due out later next year. To say I was excited would be an understatement. I had the pleasure of finally meeting Lauren Kate at BEA earlier this year, and I told her how excited I was to read something new from her. Unfortunately I had to wait a few months before I could finally read Teardrop because I wanted to wait until closer to the release date. But once I finally sat down and read Teardrop, it was definitely well worth the wait!
I wouldn't say that I'm not a crier, but at the same time while I am emotional, I don't really cry too often. I can't imagine never crying. And to not cry after losing a parent, even if the emotions are inside of you that's tough. So quickly while starting Teardrop, I realized that Eureka was a tough chick. But I also realized that she's human. Early on you discover about her suicide attempt. And honestly suicide is heavy and it's deep. It's not something that can be written lightly. I think it was written well, and not in bad taste. The suicide attempt occurred a few months before the novel started, and you see the consequences of Eureka's actions. Sometimes in a book something serious can occur, and it's swept under a rug and not dealt with.
The size of the book kind of intimidated me at first because I am a slow reader. But once you start reading, it flows so well that you don't even realize how many pages it actually is. The scenes transition really well one after the other. I didn't once feel like a scene was filler, or just something to make the book longer.
The relationships with the characters was something that I enjoyed as well. At first I really disliked Rhoda, Eureka's stepmother. Actually I still don't think I like her after finishing the book, but she's one of those characters that you just aren't supposed to like. But you are supposed to see their purpose. Eureka loves her half siblings, but blames Rhoda for her parents divorce. Eureka's siblings William and Claire are really adorable, but sometimes I didn't think they quite acted their age. They seemed very knowledgeable for four year olds.
And of course there is a love triangle. When I first figured out that there would be a love triangle, I actually groaned. And when it became obvious that one of the people in this love triangle was Eureka's best friend I rolled my eyes. I asked myself, Why does the best friend have to be in love with her? It's so cliche. And it makes it seem like guys and girls can't be friends. But then I took a step back, and I started to analyze it. First I remembered that as someone who is closer to their 30s, and is not the intended audience for this book I have to remember my teenage years. Often times older readers of young adult books tend to forget who exactly is the target audience. Yes, while an older audience may enjoy reading young adult books, we're not who the author has in mind while writing. Then I kept reading and slowly my inhibitions about this went away. Eureka's best friend, Brooks is just too hard not to like. I found myself being more pro Brooks, than Ander. Eureka and Brooks really works for me.
When it comes to Ander, it actually was hard for me to like him. His appearances are so sporadic that you doubt you can trust him. I was suspicious. He's so vague. But not in the way that it's intriguing. Its frustrating. There is definitely more character development with Brooks, than Ander. But at the same time in the scenes that he does have with Eureka, there is chemistry.
The magical aspect of the book was written really well. Sometimes I have issues following along with the paranormal aspect in novels. I find myself having to reread certain parts to get a clear picture of the scenery or what is going on. But that wasn't the case with Teardrop. I could picture scenes vividly in my head, and enjoyed imagining the visuals. And the ending just leaves you wanting the next book. You want to continue on Eureka's journey to see what's next.
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