Author: Cara Doll
Series: N/A
Pages: N/A
Date Published: August 22, 2014
Publisher: Lulu.com
Format: Kindle
Violett wasn't good at meeting people. Then she met him. Markus wasn't good at not killing people. Then he met her.
~My Thoughts~
Well, if I hadn't already been planning on reading this one, the title sure would have caught my eye! There's just something so...visceral and grody about using death and jelly in the same sentence. Maybe from that old Halloween song...
"They eat...your eyes...and then they eat your nose...they like, to eat, the jelly between your toes..."
Anyway, I digress. The book was not really about Death, or Jelly. A fact that I found saddening, as I had been quite looking forward to the jelly part, and in fact, had prepared myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so that I could really get into the story.
Markus has the unfortunate thing of people constantly dying around him. Either because of him, or just coincidence, we aren't really sure...never-the-less he leaves a trail of bodies in his wake. He calls out to Violett one day, is almost compelled to do so, and thus sets into motion one of the most curious tales I've read.
The descriptions were a bit wordy, although that may have contributed to this book's charm. I couldn't quite tell if it was serious, or if it was incredibly tongue-in-cheek. This was a very quirky and odd book, and even as I write I'm not quite sure how I feel about it! lol. Let's just say that Violett was awkward, and Markus was odd, and you put them together and they are the most Awk-odd people on the planet. With the story jumping back and forth between them, you feel like you're on a roller coaster of emotion.
The formatting was very different, as there were borders and clips and little pictures strewn throughout. It gave off the feel of a much younger book, but also maintained that quirkyness mentioned above. Overall, if you're looking for something new and different, and even a little out there, Death and Jelly would be a good bet.
"They eat...your eyes...and then they eat your nose...they like, to eat, the jelly between your toes..."
Anyway, I digress. The book was not really about Death, or Jelly. A fact that I found saddening, as I had been quite looking forward to the jelly part, and in fact, had prepared myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so that I could really get into the story.
Markus has the unfortunate thing of people constantly dying around him. Either because of him, or just coincidence, we aren't really sure...never-the-less he leaves a trail of bodies in his wake. He calls out to Violett one day, is almost compelled to do so, and thus sets into motion one of the most curious tales I've read.
The descriptions were a bit wordy, although that may have contributed to this book's charm. I couldn't quite tell if it was serious, or if it was incredibly tongue-in-cheek. This was a very quirky and odd book, and even as I write I'm not quite sure how I feel about it! lol. Let's just say that Violett was awkward, and Markus was odd, and you put them together and they are the most Awk-odd people on the planet. With the story jumping back and forth between them, you feel like you're on a roller coaster of emotion.
The formatting was very different, as there were borders and clips and little pictures strewn throughout. It gave off the feel of a much younger book, but also maintained that quirkyness mentioned above. Overall, if you're looking for something new and different, and even a little out there, Death and Jelly would be a good bet.
~Try an Excerpt!~
Several hours after the tepid sunset, Bach, the paintmaker,
and Gian, the professor of history, appeared together at the painter’s door. In
his satchel, Bach carried three bottles of wine. In Gian’s satchel, was a
thicket of papers he was likely to begin grading at the table while the meal
was still in front of him.
Markus led them to the dining room where supper had already
been set out.
As they sat, Bach eyed the painter ominously.
“Hello...there.”
“Yes, hello,” Gian repeated, less ominously, already
distracted by something in his bag.
Bach emptied his satchel onto the table. The wine bottles
rolled until each one precisely stopped at a diner’s plate.
Markus righted his bottle. “What is it?” He asked
impatiently.
Bach smiled. “Well, Gian and I were talking on the way here.
We were wondering how long it’s been.”
“How long it’s been since what?” Markus asked, though he
knew already.
“Certainly that girl in Lisbon wasn’t the last,” Bach chided
with a barely disguised smirk. “That was months ago.”
Gian looked up from his bag to scowl at Markus. “That was
the worst vacation of my life. I couldn’t get that…smell out of my bathrobe. I
had to throw it out.”
“So many casualties…” The words slithered from Bach’s mouth
like a snake—a snake that withered and died under the painter’s glare.
“I didn’t kill her.” Markus snatched the corkscrew off the
table. “She just died.”
Bach and Gian shared an eye roll as the painter stabbed the
cork with unintentional vehemence.
Cara will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host. Additionally, Goddess Fish Productions will be awarding a $5 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.
The title caught my attention too. A very helpful review thank you. I don't mind quirky sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThe cover is unique and eve-cathcing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! Of course, now you've set off an inconsolable craving in me for PB & J...
ReplyDeleteThank you for the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteIt does sounds a bit odd but I'd like to give it a read.
ReplyDeleteFascinating and very interesting review. Loved the excerpt.
ReplyDelete"... Overall, if you're looking for something new and different, and even a little out there, Death and Jelly would be a good bet." Awesome!
ReplyDeleteHow long do you write daily, on average? Thank you for a great post and contest!
ReplyDeleteIf you're asking me, Betty, I can tell you that I sit down to write every day for about ten seconds before getting distracted by a squirrel. Or laundry. Or the sudden need to know the precise distance from Paris to Mount Rushmore. But occasionally there's a lull when I've answered all life's burning questions and can scramble together a few paragraphs/pages at once. Writing is the best. Wait, did I answer your question? I write for 3-4 hours every weekday. If "write" is interchangeable with "stare at screen and daydream about Colin Farrell."
ReplyDeleteHow did you come up with the title and artwork for your book?
ReplyDeleteWell, I often paint bits of the story I'm working on as a way to get through writer's block and keep connected to the story, so the cover is actually a painting I did of Markus' studio when the words I needed had pattered off to picnic elsewhere. As for the title, it always seemed like the story was more than one thing, so it made sense to me that the title be more than one thing, too. I thought something sinister and something sweet projected the mood well. At one point, Markus refers to his bizarre paint concoctions as "jelly," and I just sort of latched on to that.
Delete