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60th out of 91 books
—
257 voters
From the Chrysalis
by
Karen E. Black (Goodreads Author)
A forbidden love affair between a college student and an ex-convict threatens to destroy them both.
Liza's bad-boy cousin, the handsome, magnetic D’Arcy “Dace” Devereux is nothing but trouble. Falling in love with him can only make things worse. Especially for a girl who knows more about books and monarch butterflies than she does men.
The cousins’ mutual infatuation flare...more
Liza's bad-boy cousin, the handsome, magnetic D’Arcy “Dace” Devereux is nothing but trouble. Falling in love with him can only make things worse. Especially for a girl who knows more about books and monarch butterflies than she does men.
The cousins’ mutual infatuation flare...more
Kindle Edition, 313 pages
Published
February 5th 2012
by Karen E. Black
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I have to admit I was intrigued enough by the books summary to purchase From the Chrysalis: A Novel and I was quickly blown away by the depth of emotion as the story unfolded. This is the story of Liza and Dace two people who couldn't be more different if they tried. Liza is a naive, sweet and bookish young woman who has been in love with her cousin Dace for years Dace on the other hand is a wild child, forever the black sheep of the family as he spends time in and out of prison or in increasing...more
Interesting and very rare, one that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
This author has made an enormous impact with her debut, and I am anxious to read more from her!
I started to read this book, and within the first couple pages, this book really jump started and kept my attention, very surreal, and had me wondering what was coming on the next page. One of those books that you do not want to put down, but you have to change a diaper or something;) and you are trying to hurry back because you wa...more
This author has made an enormous impact with her debut, and I am anxious to read more from her!
I started to read this book, and within the first couple pages, this book really jump started and kept my attention, very surreal, and had me wondering what was coming on the next page. One of those books that you do not want to put down, but you have to change a diaper or something;) and you are trying to hurry back because you wa...more
From time to time, I select books with provocative themes, out of curiosity to see how authors tackle sensitive issues like those in “The List” (by Siobhan Vivian) and “Forbidden” (by Tabitha Suzuma), and how well they capture the dynamics and complexities of human emotions and relationships.
[The review below may contain spoilers, depending on how you look at it!]
The story is about Liza and her first cousin, Dace. From a young age, Liza had been drawn to Dace like a moth to a flame. All through...more
[The review below may contain spoilers, depending on how you look at it!]
The story is about Liza and her first cousin, Dace. From a young age, Liza had been drawn to Dace like a moth to a flame. All through...more
It isn't often that I put down a novel that is so moving and powerfully written that I can't pick up another for a while. This story will dwell in my mind for a very long time. Liza falls in love at fourteen with her handsome, wild cousin Dace who is due to go into prison for manslaughter which was not his fault. There is an immediate bonding between them. Liza, like so many girls, is attracted to the Dark Lover, the inner male that is dangerous, difficult and even destructive - but who ultimate...more
From the Chrysalis by Karen E. Black covers a time span of several years and the setting is Canada for the most part. It is a fictional romance with a taste of mystery, violence, and sex. I find other books sometimes have sex that is over done and redundant but that is not the case here since Karen Black has seemed to master a style of her own.
In 1966 Elizabeth "Liza" Devereux is a fourteen year old growing up in a household with her younger twin brothers, her mother, and a step-father who does...more
In 1966 Elizabeth "Liza" Devereux is a fourteen year old growing up in a household with her younger twin brothers, her mother, and a step-father who does...more
"From the Chrysalis" is the bitter sweet story of the incongruous love between a young girl and her convict cousin.Left to fend for themselves--Liza with her grandmother in Dublin and Dace in a Canadian prison that's about to blow--both young people get into "trouble" and struggle to overcome their pasts. Though they eventually come together as young adults,their troubles are far from over. Dace's association with the bikers worried me, but for the most part--for this book anyway,the bikers aren...more
Every once in a while you come across a book that takes you from reality and plunges you into its world and you are completely lost in it. ‘From the Chrysalis’ is one of those books. From the second I started reading this book I could not put it down and when I wasn’t reading it I was still thinking about the story and what was going to happen to Liza and Dace next. The story is romantic and tragic, as any good love story should be, and will leave you wanting more. Karen E. Black does an excelle...more
From the Chrysalis is a book that is absolutely mesmerizing! From author to character's I was wished away into this magical world that Black has created with the sweetest ink. There are not many authors that have this gift to make you feel like you were right there when the book was first written; because it felt so real when you read it. It gave me chills as I eagerly moved through each chapter, just dying to read the next web of words weaved so magnificently. I would highly recommend this book...more
Set in the mid nineties "From the Chyrsalis" by Karen E. Black is a story of Falling in love and other challenges associated with it. In real life Karen (the author) work as a reference librarian which I might say not just made this novel more appealing but also historically enriched. The Kingston Penitentiary Riot is at the core of this romance book.
Liza is fourteen, fascinated with butterflies is like a free spirit but contained, shy, and a normal teen none the less (while I don't recall any t...more
Liza is fourteen, fascinated with butterflies is like a free spirit but contained, shy, and a normal teen none the less (while I don't recall any t...more
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Love can be so very complicated. That is what Liza and Dace found out. As cousins their love wasn't approved of, but the attraction made them want to fight the obstacles placed in their way. But that isn't the biggest problem facing this couple. Dace loves trouble. He gets into enough of it to land him in prison. Liza, in her desperation to be near him, goes to college near the prison. It doesn't matter that they don't have much time. It only matters that they have some time. When his "friends"...more
A slightly different read, found it hard to get around the fact that Dace and Liza are cousins. I did however get caught up in the angst of both characters being imprisoned with or without walls. Justice and truth seem almost within reach, their day to day choices to exist drag them deeper into the world that is expected of Dace. Towards the me of the story, I too gave in to overlooking their heritage much to my surprise. Now waiting for book 2.... There surely has to be one with that ending :)...more
The cover of "From the Chrysalis" promised a prison story, so that's why I read it, but it's only partly about that. But "From the Chrysalis" is also a love story, and the development of the Liza character is every bit as good as the male protagonist, Dace. A secondary character called Mel is also very believable. So the book was a bit of a surprise for me. But in fact I found it hard to put down. Karen Black has a flair for fast moving narrative. I hope she is working on a sequel.
Karen Black has woven such an amazing tale of a forbidden love between Liza, the always good girl and her bad boy cousin, Dace. This book is an amazing journey for these two and I have to say that this was definitely a page turner for me. I couldn't put this book down. Karen has made this story so real and in such an accurate portrayal of the era, you can't help but be completely drawn into this heartfelt tale.
Richly developed and intriguing characters of Dace and Liza come together in this fast-paced story of love, danger and obsession. At first, the naive Liza and ex-con Dace seem like good girl meets bad boy, but in just a few pages, the reader discovers that their love is so much more. This one's a keeper; I could see it gracing the big screen some day.
This is the first book I read on my new Kindle! No way I expected a freebie to be so good. I was looking for something a little like "Prison Break" and this book is, but it also turned out to be an unusual romance with a great plot. Really moves along. I couldn't put it down. Some sex scenes and some violence, so I reccmmend it for over 18.
I am really into books where the author "draws you in" no matter what the style and this author just does that! You'll find yourself emotionally invested in the characters and unable to put the book down so you ca find out what happens next! A great read full of unexpected twists and turns!
This was close for me...probably more of a 2.5 than a 3 star review.
The premise was interesting and that's probably why I rated it higher than I would have normally.
What did me in was the writing, it felt kind of fractured, especially the dialogue. Everytime that I had the mental image during a scene painted for me, it felt like it would skip unnecessarily due to the dialogue.
It's a shame since I really liked the main characters and was really involved in their story otherwise.
The premise was interesting and that's probably why I rated it higher than I would have normally.
What did me in was the writing, it felt kind of fractured, especially the dialogue. Everytime that I had the mental image during a scene painted for me, it felt like it would skip unnecessarily due to the dialogue.
It's a shame since I really liked the main characters and was really involved in their story otherwise.
I was a little hesitant about this book after reading that it had to do with a love story between cousins but I read the sample and decided to give it a go. I'm so glad I did. It is well written and you root for the couple to make it. Great bad boy/ good girl romance.
This is a very good read...forbidden love,murder, prison riots,bikers and well written courtroom scences. I found myself drawn to Liza and Dace...my one problem is the ending had me wanting more hopefully there is another book to this story!
Fab I cant wait for sequel!
$0.0
Jun 08, 2013
Alexa
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Jun 02, 2013
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May 27, 2013
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