Fangirl Saturday! A Review of UNCONTROLLABLY WASTED by C. Elizabeth Vescio

Book Name: Uncontrollably Wasted (The Wasted Series, #2) by C. Elizabeth Vescio

Book Genre: New Adult

Pub date: Fall 2013 by Luna Station Press

ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review. 

Series website: http://www.thewastedseries.com/

Dannie Says: I am uncontrollably obsessed with this book!

On Friday, I posted an interview with C. Elizabeth Vescio who is--hands down--my favorite new-to-me author of 2013. You can read the review of her debut in this series, ELEGANTLY WASTED, here. Here's a little about the sequel UNCONTROLLABLY WASTED, available now. Buy links at the bottom of the post!

It's been a year since Francesca Fairholm met the rest of the Osiris team and the company heads, her two half brothers Nero and Lex. As they groom her for leadership, it's all Frankie can do to keep her cynical sarcasm in check as she starts training two new Strikers, avoids the romantic advances of Spark Dawson, and does her best to pry a little family history from her cold, distant Aunt Alexa. 

With the pressure of her secret dual life building and her mother acting suspiciously, Frankie's sanity is pushed to the brink when she makes a grisly discovery that shakes the young Striker to her core. Despite her cousins' fear that her panic attacks signal a full mental breakdown, Frankie is positive she's not crazy. Finding clarity in her personal investigation into Osiris's origins, she uncovers more about the company than she would rather know.

As her life starts to unravel, things get deadly and, before she knows it, she's facing down an old target's pissed-off widow, an unstoppable mercenary, and the one thing she's most terrified of admitting to herself. 

It's possible the whole situation won't explode in her face. Yeah, like Frankie has that kind of luck.

WHAT I LIKED

Gawd, you guys. Nearly everything. I am such a fangirl of Cara's. And before you go saying we're twitter friends and that I'm biased, we became twitter friends because I got an ARC of one of her books and thought it kicked ass. I really need to skip the "Like" section of this review because I just love this book so hard.  

WHAT I LOVED

Vescio's attention to details: from character names to setting details to provocative use of color imagery, this book reads like a movie. I'm not a fan of doing blog posts involving casting actors who would play my characters on TV or IMAX, but I felt myself doing that as I was reading UNCONTROLLABLY WASTED. There is such beautiful imagery, beautifully horrible at times, haunting even, but I loved every bloody moment. (See what I did there?)

The characters--never in my life have I fallen in love with a more genuinely immoral and unsavory group of characters. Now granted, the kids I love working with most in my day job are the kids that every other staff member at the school is tired of dealing with, but even so. Lovable-but-jaded-and-borderline-sociopathic contract killers, people. Not an easy feat. Suspended disbelief. I has it. 

Completely appropriate use of narrative sarcasm. If I wasn't terrified she might kill me in my sleep I would want Francesca to be my bestie. Vescio has a way of using sarcasm and pop culture reference in her narrative voice that is just so fluid and natural. It's a testament to how well she knows her main character, because authenticity is everywhere you look. There are MANY laugh-aloud moments. Usually had at three in the morning while reading in the dark, much to my husband's dismay. 

The overall pace and flow of the plot. The structure is so sound in this book. Beyond conceptualizing a unique story, Vescio is a good writer. I'm not sure if she's a plotter or a pantser, but either way she works it out really, really well. 

How much fun this is to read. I said this with book one and I'll say it again. I love how out-of-the "traditional" NA box this series is. Yes there are sexytimes. But there's so much more in terms of new adult themes--identity and self discovery, growing up, etc--that I love about New Adult as a category. This is not your sorority sister's New Adult Contemporary. In fact, I'm pretty sure Frankie killed your sorority sister off while you were reading. 

The ending! And I'm going to work very hard not to spoil it for you, so let me just say this: I was really scared I was going to hate the ending. I was ready to be mad and ranty and kick my nonexistent Jimmy Choos in the dirt all Katharine Fairholm style because I thought I was gonna be disappointed. The ending is delicious and perfect. With just a hint of Dawson's Creek. It gave me ALL THE FEELS, people. 

WHAT I WANTED MORE OF

I felt like there was a little too much backstory for a sequel. At times toward the top of the book, I felt the pace was slowed down by explaining things we already knew from book one. Or catching us up on what had happened since book one in block narrative form. I think, though, that I am a bit pickier than most readers where this issue is concerned. So I'm not sure this will be an issue for most readers. 

Selfishness in the main character. I probably don't mean this in the way you think. What I mean is that, in general, I'm not a fan of this whole self-sacrifice/suicidality ya/NA trend. It REALLY bothered me and made me ranty in DEATHLY HALLOWS and again in INSURGENT. And a whole bunch of other YA and NA novels, too. I think it's a mistake psychologically speaking, to encourage martyrdom in this age group. So if I had to nitpick on one theme in UNCONTROLLABLY WASTED, that would be. 

Seriously, that's all I can find to pick on. This book is so good, you guys. 

Short story long, buy this book right now. No really. Right now. The links are below.