Review : Stray by Elissa Sussman

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Stray (Four Sisters #1)
Author : Elissa Sussman
Publication Date : October 7th 2014
Publisher : Harper Teen
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“I am grateful for my father, who keeps me good and sweet. I am grateful for my mother, who keeps her own heart guarded and safe. I am grateful for my adviser, who keeps me protected. I am grateful for the Path, which keeps me pure. Ever after.”

Princess Aislynn has long dreamed about attending her Introduction Ball, about dancing with the handsome suitors her adviser has chosen for her, about meeting her true love and starting her happily ever after.

When the night of the ball finally arrives and Nerine Academy is awash with roses and royalty, Aislynn wants nothing more than to dance the night away, dutifully following the Path that has been laid out for her. She does not intend to stray.

But try as she might, Aislynn has never quite managed to control the magic that burns within her-magic brought on by wicked, terrible desires that threaten the Path she has vowed to take.

After all, it is wrong to want what you do not need. Isn’t it?

Personal Thoughts 

I had no idea that Stray was about fairy godmothers before I started it, so finding out was a nice surprise. I can't say I completely loved this book. It had some issues that prevented me from doing so, but I still thought the world Stray was set in was interesting and I'm curious to find out more about it in the subsequent books.

Aislynn as a heroine was interesting, but I can't say she was the kind of character who would stand out to me. She had this fierceness to her that I thoroughly enjoyed and I liked watching her character develop, but she was missing a little something special to make her really spark as a character. I did want her to fight a bit stronger when it came to societal norms that were placed upon her, but I think that came about from me being a new generation who can't stand to see the mistreatment of women. Regardless, I thought Aislynn did mature a little as the story went by, which was more than enough to satisfy me. Thackery was the highlight for me. He was a sweet guy and he was Aislynn's love interest, but more than his romance with her, I loved seeing the shades of his character slowly being revealed to the reader. There were some surprises when it came to him and I'm excited to see how his story progresses along with the series.

The plot in itself was something I enjoyed. I admit that in certain parts it felt like it was dragging, but overall the story was one that had me hooked. I also thought the world that Elissa Sussman has created is a complex one with a lot of possibilities. I love that she derived her world from fairy tales, but still managed to make it unique. It's very much a misogynistic world and some scenes might make you uncomfortable, but it's also peppered with some realism and makes you grateful that you don't belong to such a society. There were some questions that I thought were left unanswered, but because this is a series, I'm holding out hope that they will eventually be answered. It has a fascinating concept, one that I thing could have done with a little more work, but it was still remarkable and I have no doubt that it will become stronger as the series progresses.

Elissa Sussman's debut was a successful one for me. It was by no means perfect. It had its flaws, but it's a series that I believe will only get better. I'm excited for the prospect and I can't wait to see what the author has up her sleeves.

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 4/5

**Overall Rating : 3.5/5**

Thank you to Edelweiss and Harper Teen for the e-ARC of Stray.