ARC Review: Broken by A.E. Rought

Broken by A.E. Rought
Published: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Pages: 320
My Rating:  4 of 5 stars

Synopsis: Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where a young couple’s undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all.

A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry’s boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his specter in the moonlight and the fog.

When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she’s intrigued despite herself. He’s an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely…familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel’s. The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there’s something very wrong with Alex Franks.

And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks’ estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows.

My Review: Broken is unbelievably good. In all honesty going into this book I wasn't sure what to expect. Just reading the blurb about the book basically gave away the entire story. So I  guessed everything about Alex from the first couple of pages. Did that take away from the story? Not really. Sure I wasn't surprised but it was still good.

So the book starts out with Emma mourning Daniel's death. Daniel had died recently so I kind of expected Emma to grieve. At least she didn't act like some helpless girl. I actually liked Emma even though she was this normal girl that was still mourning the loss of her boyfriend. She punches people and smacks people around with her cast. Why can't more characters be like Emma? Normal but still able to defend themselves.

Broken was delightfully creepy. The deer and Dr. Franks especially. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at a deer or animal that was hit be a car the same way ever again. Dr. Franks was just completely nuts and a great villain. I loved him as a villain because I'm weird and love villains.

The insta love kind of bothered me but it was also kind of justified given the situation that Emma and Alex were in. The only thing that really bugged me about the book was how predictable it was. It could have been so much better if it wasn't so obvious what happened to Alex and Daniel. I mean it basically says it in the blurb! I mean Alex Franks goes to Shelley High School?

I love retellings and I thought that Alex and Emma were so adorable together. I don't even know how to describe how much I love their relationship. I actually loved almost all the characters except for Josh. There's just no love for Josh. I even like Dr. Franks better than Josh.

I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more books by this author!

*I received this book via Netgalley. Thank you!