ARC REVIEW: STONE FIELD by Christy Lenzi

Summary:
In a small town on the brink of the Civil War, Catrina finds a man making strange patterns in her family’s sorghum crop. He’s mad with fever, naked, and strikingly beautiful. He has no memory of who he is or what he’s done before Catrina found him in Stone Field. But that doesn’t bother Catrina because she doesn’t like thinking about the things she’s done before either.

Catrina and Stonefield fall passionately, dangerously, in love. All they want is to live with each other, in harmony with the land and away from Cat’s protective brother, the new fanatical preacher, and the neighbors who are scandalized by their relationship. But Stonefield can’t escape the truth about who he is, and the conflict tearing apart the country demands that everyone take a side before the bloodbath reaches their doorstep.

Inspired by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Stone Field is a passionate and atmospheric story of how violence and vengeance pervert the human spirit, and how hatred can be transcended by love.

Title: Stone Field

Author: Christy Lenzi

Source: ARC via the Publisher

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Date: March 29, 2016

Rating: 4/5 stars

Purchase:

Amazon | Chapters | TBD

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
 
Holy frickle frackle, this book is amazing. I have so many marked passages and I loved every second of it. Cat is the type of girl you root for because she goes through such a great transition from young adult to woman. It is one that I am fully supportive of.

The thing I hate a bit of a hard time with in this one was the instalove. The characters do acknowledge it so I guess that makes up for it, but it was a tough pill to swallow. The romance between Stonefield and Cat doesn't feel too rushed though, overall. There is time (like the first 30% of the book) that Lenzi spends giving Cat and Stonefield their time together for the reader to fall behind the two of them being together. I think the idea that there is more than just romance to this novel is what really brought it on home for me though.

Cat's character is one that is written so well. She starts off so ignorant to the rest of the world because she is caught up in herself and her guilt. But as she starts to really fall in love with Stonefield, she realizes that she loves the parts of her that are different. So even when Stonefield isn't there for support, she is able to be Cat. There were a lot of moments in the book that I couldn't help but root for her to just be herself. I think she does stumble along the way, but who doesn't. It was just such a wonderful progress to watch because I felt like I was growing up and accepting myself at the same time that Cat was.

I also really liked the friendship between Effie and Cat. I thought they were the perfect bffs because they weren't always nice to one another and sometimes focused more on their own lives than each other but they always were there to help one another when need be. I thought that the familial relationships could have been better developed and maybe a bit more with Effie's family and Cat, but I think the important characters got their screentime and development, so that's what really matters.

Let me start by saying the writing is beautiful in this book. I'm not typically a first person present kind of person but I found it so easy to slip into Cat's world. I did think the pacing was just a tad off -- it felt like we went from 0-60 in a span of two chapters because there wasn't much transition between them in my opinion. But once the story found it's stride again, it was irresistible. Actually, I read this in two sittings and only because I started before work and then finished after work.

I thought the ending was perfect and I was so emotional over it. It was the perfect way to end the book. I think with how much the book talks about endings, it is one that is fitting for the story. It is one that I highly recommend you pick up at the end of March because otherwise you will be missing out on a great read.