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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Review: MELT by Selene Castrovilla




MELT By: Selene Castrovilla
Publisher: Last Syllable Books
Release Date: 08/05/2014
Number of Pages: 328
Genre: Contemporary | Romance | Young Adult
Melt is a brutal love story; set against the backdrop of The Wizard of Oz. 
Sixteen year old “good girl” Dorothy just blew into the small town of Highland Park – where the social headquarters is Munchkinland (Dunkin’ Donuts.) There, she meets Joey – a “bad boy” who tells no one about the catastrophic domestic violence he witnesses at home. 

Can these two lovers survive peer pressure, Joey’s reputation, and his alcoholism? And then there’s his family’s secret – about to be unleashed. Told in dual first person, Joey’s words are scattered on the page – reflecting his broken state. 
Dorothy is the voice of reason – until something so shattering happens that she, too, may lose her grip. Can their love endure, or will it melt away?


Melt is based on true events. It is both a chilling tale of abuse, and a timeless romance. It will hit you like a punch in the face, and also seep through the cracks in your soul.

**Review copy provide by author, Selene Castrovilla. Rating: 5/5



MELT was one of the most powerful, stunning books I’ve read all year. While not based on The Wizard of Oz as a re-telling, Castrovilla sets MELT against a Wizard of Oz backdrop and the L. Frank Baum passages offer a unique insight into the plot of MELT

Also interesting is Selene Castrovilla’s writing style. 

Told in dual perspectives, one being written in verse, MELT quickly draws you in and reads very fast. I started this book around 3:00 p.m. and finished it before midnight – it was nearly impossible to put down. 

The plot was incredibly real, raw, and painful. Castrovilla takes on many different subjects, such as abuse, addiction, and first love. Despite the heavy subject matter, this novel reads extremely quickly and is amazingly well-written. 

If you are a fan on realistic, contemporary fiction, this novel should be a MUST READ. Bravo to Selene Castrovilla on writing one of the best books of 2014.


Selene Castrovilla is an award-winning teen and children’s author who believes that through all trends, humanity remains at the core of literature. 

She is the author of Saved By the Music and The Girl Next Door, teen novels originally published by WestSide Books and now available digitally through ASD Publishing. Her third children’s book with Calkins Creek Books, Revolutionary Friends, was released in April 2013. 

She is also a contributing author to UncommonYA. Selene holds an MFA in creative writing from New School University and a BA in English from New York University. 

Selene lives on Long Island with her two sons. Visit her website www.SeleneCastrovilla.com for book excerpts and more information.
 
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2 comments:

  1. Great review, thanks for being part of the tour!
    ~ Jen @ JenHalliganPR.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Jen! It was my pleasure to read and review such a phenomenal book!

    ReplyDelete