Review: The Bodies We Wear by Jeyn Roberts

The Bodies We Wear

Author: Jeyn Roberts
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Paranormal/Dystopian
Format: ebook
Release Date: September 23, 2014
Source: egalley received from publisher via NetGalley
Rating: 3.5 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***

Synopsis from Goodreads:

People say when you take Heam, your body momentarily dies and you catch a glimpse of heaven. Faye was only eleven when dealers forced Heam on her and her best friend, Christian. But Faye didn’t glimpse heaven—she saw hell. And Christian died.

Now Faye spends her days hiding her secret from the kids at school, and her nights training to take revenge on the men who destroyed her life and murdered her best friend. But life never goes the way we think it will. When a mysterious young man named Chael appears, Faye's plan suddenly gets a lot more complicated. Chael seems to know everything about her, including her past. But too many secrets start tearing her world apart: trouble at school, with the police, and with the people she thought might be her friends. Even Gazer, her guardian, fears she's become too obsessed with vengeance. Love and death. Will Faye overcome her desires, or will her quest for revenge consume her?

My Review:

A mix of dystopian and paranormal, this book tells the story of a girl struggling with drug addiction and revenge. The main character is so flawed, but you really do feel for her. A recovering Heam addict, the newest drug on the market that can show you a glimpse of heaven, she struggled every single day. And with the telltale scars of overdose spider-webbing across her chest, she is discriminated against everywhere she goes. 

There are a lot of layers to Faye. She's very angry and she isolates herself from the rest of society even when people reach out to her. Understandable, given her past experiences. I really enjoyed watching her work through her issues and get to a point of peace and understanding. The ability to let go and move on with your life, focusing on the positives is so difficult. I appreciated that it wasn't easy for Faye and for every one step forward she took two steps back. 

The drug itself was interesting. There were some religious questions raised in the book, not heavily focused on, but definitely present. Because the drug supposedly allows you to see heaven, questions like should you be able to see heaven or does that violate the concept of faith are raised. Like I said, religion is most definitely not a central focus, but I liked the little bit we got. It was different. 

The paranormal aspect in this book is what really threw me off. I was really enjoying the dystopian/contemporary feel (honestly it felt more contemporary than dystopian with the drug abuse issues) and then all of a sudden this paranormal aspect comes swooping in. I think it just caught me really off guard and I was never really feeling it. The reason that this book only gets 3.5 stars is partly because of the paranormal aspect and partly because it just didn't leave a huge impact on me. It's not that I didn't like it, I did, it just didn't have that spark. 

But other than that, I really enjoyed this book. It's gritty and deals with some pretty dark themes, but the character development is brilliant. This girl's journey will both break your heart and leave you feeling hopeful at the same time. Happy reading all! 

Let's talk! Have you read this one? What did you think of the paranormal element?