Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James

Hardcover: 272 pagesPublisher: Bantam (July 13, 2010)

Book summary: Who is Katherine Patterson? It is a question she hopes no one can answer. To erase her past, Katherine has moved to a new city, enrolled in a new school, and even changed her name. She's done the next best thing to disappearing altogether. Now, wary and alone, she seeks nothing more than anonymity. What she finds instead is the last thing she expected: a friend. Even more unlikely, Katherine's new friend is the most popular and magnetic girl in school. Extroverted, gorgeous, flirtatious, and unpredictable, she is everything that Katherine is not and doesn't want to be: the center of attention. Yet Alice's enthusiasm is infectious, her candor sometimes unsettling, and Katherine, in spite of her guarded caution, finds herself drawn into Alice's private circle. 

But Alice has secrets, too--darker than anyone can begin to imagine. And when she lets her guard down at last, Katherine discovers the darkest of them all. For there will be no escaping the past for Katherine Patterson--only a descent into a trap far more sinister . . . and infinitely more seductive.

My review: I first thought this book was a YA title with a seventeen year old protagonist but I don't see it listed as such. That doesn't matter anyway. I was pleasantly surprised by James' novel. Going into it I hadn't heard any hype, hadn't read any reviews. From the opening line "I didn't go to Alice's funeral," I had a feeling I would like the young woman who narrates, Katherine. I did. Despite the slow beginning, once her story got moving--or I should say unraveling--I couldn't read fast enough.

From the summary we know this Alice has secrets. The entire story is about secrets and the effects they can have on those who keep them hidden and what some can do when they are. Yet, Beautiful Malice is more than that, it's a complex study of Katherine's life from a harrowing event in her past, the present and the future, and that's what I loved about it. Katherine is one of the walking wounded we see in YA, but she isn't depressing. I enjoyed the mystery and really liked the multiple backstories (of both the antagonist and protagonist) and the accompanying parallel storyline (told in alternating chapters by an older narrator). I can't spoil the mystery but I believe readers will enjoy this story as much as I did. 

Katherine's story held my interest and gripped me more and more as pieces of it were revealed. I was treated to a uniquely crafted story which all tied together quite satisfactorily by the heartbreaking but hopeful conclusion. Read Beautiful Malice and then reread the opening chapters, or if you want, reread it all over again. It's definitely worth it.

My rating: ++++

Favorite excerpt: "Katherine," he says when we finish. We're breathing each other's air and lying side by side, our noses almost touching.

     "Mick," I say.

     "I love your name. It suits you perfectly. Katherine. Katherine. Katherine and Mick."

     And when he says my name like that, right next to his, everything is different. I've never really liked being called Katherine--all this time, despite what I've said, I've desperately missed being called Katie. I've missed being Katie.

     But I'm no longer Katie, I'm Katherine--and tonight, for the first time ever, I don't want to be anyone else." (Pages 148-149, ARC edition)

Cover comment: I initially thought the girl in the photo was under ice but after reading the book I understood the cover picture. It's interesting and makes me want to find out about it.

Book source: Traveling ARC tours

Reviewed by: Laurie