Vengeance Bound

Aug 03, 2012 Wendy Darling marked it as dnf

Shelves: mythic-and-fairy-tale-ish, young-adult, ss, 2013-publication, own-dtb-tbr, retellings

DNF.

Mar 11, 2013 Danny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Read Review at Bewitched Bookworms

Greek Mythology and .. the Furies!
Greek mythology is always something I’m interested in , and especially with a modern urban setting. Here, the tale of the Furies is explored in a new refreshing, but also dark and edgy way. Cory is connected to the furies in a rather special way, as they only appear when they about to hand down justice to a man ( never women), otherwise they somehow only exist in her mind. Even if they are in the back of her conscience, she alw...more Read Review at Bewitched Bookworms

Greek Mythology and .. the Furies!
Greek mythology is always something I’m interested in , and especially with a modern urban setting. Here, the tale of the Furies is explored in a new refreshing, but also dark and edgy way. Cory is connected to the furies in a rather special way, as they only appear when they about to hand down justice to a man ( never women), otherwise they somehow only exist in her mind. Even if they are in the back of her conscience, she always aware of them and they also can trigger her emotions and try to influence them.

Alone! …. only the Furies are there..
Cory is on her own since she was 15, ever since she connected with Furies. Some truly horrific things happened to her, things I’m going to let you explore for yourself. But, all I can say is that my heart broke for her hearing about everything she went thought at such young age. It’s cruel and horrific and made me gasp!

But, all this changed her and made her grow up super fast. She had to take care of her life for herself and she not only grew up, matured super fast but also build a wall around herself and her heart.

Having her tale told from her POV was rather interesting as she definitely sounded far from the 17 yr old girl she was. In her behavior and her way of speaking shone clearly the level of maturity through. I didn’t mind this as I even prefer a more mature protagonist.

Justice?! … how far is too far
The story explores justice. How far can we go to hand down justice and who is really guilty and who might even be a victim? I loved the way those questions were explored and how Cory slowly began to realize herself that not everything is black and white. Of course, the added romance gave the story the perfect sweet counterpart to the cruel and sometimes horrific scenes. The romance was sweet, cute and definitely enough to satisfy my romantic heart!

Bottom Line
Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland was a gripping tale filled with greek mythology set in the modern world. Cory was a great and amazing heroine who was sadly wise beyond her years and only now begins to question her quest for Vengeance!(less)

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Mar 24, 2013 Giselle added it

Shelves: arc, ebook, did-not-finish, mythology

Bleh couldn't get into this one at all. Cool premise but I couldn't care less about the characters and the capitalizing of "Them" "They" etc when referring to the furies was very distracting. I kept yelling the word in my head to give it emphasis and that was just annoying. I rather not like yelling at myself much.

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Nov 03, 2012 Elena rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, urban-fantasy-paranormal, arc

Note: This review is of an uncorrected advance reader copy.

1.5 stars.

When Amelie was a desperate pre-teen in a horrible situation, the Furies answered her call for help. Taking up residence inside her, in the aftermath of her trauma the Furies' presence caused Amelie to be institutionalized, where she fell victim to Dr. Goodhart, an unscrupulous psychiatrist engaging in illegal drug trials who thinks that treating Amelie's supposed multiple personality disorder will make his career. She escapes...more Note: This review is of an uncorrected advance reader copy.

1.5 stars.

When Amelie was a desperate pre-teen in a horrible situation, the Furies answered her call for help. Taking up residence inside her, in the aftermath of her trauma the Furies' presence caused Amelie to be institutionalized, where she fell victim to Dr. Goodhart, an unscrupulous psychiatrist engaging in illegal drug trials who thinks that treating Amelie's supposed multiple personality disorder will make his career. She escapes, and vows to get her vengeance on the sadistic doctor. In order to appease the Furies while she hunts Dr. Goodhart, Amelie helps them enact "justice" on men--murderers, rapists, child molesters, etc. But the Furies seem to be gaining in strength, and wanting vengeance more frequently, and it's all Amelie can do to hold onto her humanity in the face of their desires. To help keep her sane, she enrolls in high school, where she meets Niko, a boy who may be worth fighting the Furies for.

This book...was horrible. It started out okay, but got off track almost immediately. Here are three things I really hated about this book:

1. Niko and the relationship. It was insta-love. And the insta-love was especially terrible because neither Niko nor Amelie actually seem to have any likable characteristics. Niko is blander than dry toast, and Amelie is preoccupied with the murderous Furies who live in her head. Why did they like each other? Oh, right, they're both physically attractive. Niko's eyes, in fact, are seemingly the most important thing about him. Here are just a few of the dozen (I counted) times Amelie waxes poetic about his amazing eyes:

"They're a shade that reminds me of how the ocean looks right after a hurricane blows through, wind tossed and angry. A slate gray shot through with darker shades of navy and flecks of cornflower brightness. Cliched but true. His stormy eyes stop my heart for a second."
"His eyes are the color of the winter sky, and they're so bright, it steals my breath. For a moment the world falls away. I want this moment to last forever."
"He's now close enough for me to see the irises of his eyes. The low light makes them shine, the blue the same pale shade as the sky right before dawn."
"His eyes are the color of the sky in a Monet painting I saw once when I was younger, a gray-blue so perfect that it fills me with a longing sharp enough to cut stone."

I think Amelie meeting Niko was supposed to really make things get exciting, but it actually had the opposite effect. Edward Cullen has a hundred times the personality this kid's got--I mean, at least we know Edward enjoys music, hunting large animals with his bare hands, and putting himself through the torture of high school over and over again for no reason. Niko? He likes...Amelie. Sometimes, I guess. Though he doesn't have a great way of showing it.

2. Every female character aside from Amelie is some variety of petty, malicious, or insane--and I'm not talking about the Furies here. This book definitely fails the Bechdel Test (unless you count Amelie's weird dream-conversations with a cryptic former Fury), and it's not for lack of female characters.

3. The ending. I think it's meant to be a "triumphing over evil" sort of ending, but, uh, there's no triumph. There wasn't even really any major attempt to triumph over evil--what resolution with the Furies occurs is something that's completely out of Amelie's hands, and not exactly a desired outcome. I'm so confused about how not only the author but also her agent and an editor thought this ending was satisfactory.

Overall, I just really don't understand how there are people out there who like this book. It fails on almost every front. Disappointing.(less)

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Apr 14, 2013 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a fast paced, action filled amazing book. You will be hooked rit from the beginning and even after the ending.

Annie is a great character. She has some issues but it isn't her fault, she has the furies inside her head telling her to do things. She is not crazy but she was diagnosed that way. She is the third fury, going on rage and vengeance to those who slip from the law. She is handing out their judgement and punishment. She really doesn't care until she starts at her new school where s...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Jaiden rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-stars, arc-copy, crushes, e-books, greek-mythology, for-review

Originally posted at: Girls on YA Books

~Review:
Woah. Just woah. I kinda new what to expect when I agreed to do the Vengeance Bound Tour. I saw the cover and read the premise. It seemed interesting enough so I went ahead and agreed and signed up. Now when I started reading it I totally forgot what it was about and was kind of caught off guard.

This book was really really good. I was a bit iffy of how I would feel about it but in the end I really really liked it. I finished it in about 6 hours (...more Originally posted at: Girls on YA Books

~Review:
Woah. Just woah. I kinda new what to expect when I agreed to do the Vengeance Bound Tour. I saw the cover and read the premise. It seemed interesting enough so I went ahead and agreed and signed up. Now when I started reading it I totally forgot what it was about and was kind of caught off guard.

This book was really really good. I was a bit iffy of how I would feel about it but in the end I really really liked it. I finished it in about 6 hours (spread over the course of two days). I didn't even know I was reading so much till I looked and saw the percentage I was at. The writing style of Justina Ireland is just so smooth. It was like riding a floaty tube in the lazy pool. Once you get into the rhythm and get comfortable you are surprised by how many trips you have made around and around again. I enjoyed we writing style very much. Justina has definitely got a talent and I'm looking forward to more books from her!

The story was very interesting. Talk about some chics out for guys blood! Along with Amelie/Cory's help the two Furies (one hawk woman and one serpent woman who frankly reminds me of Medusa) go around serving justice by killing the men who have done injustice among women. It really was pretty cool but also terrible. It was vicious and terrible how blood thirsty the Furies were! This book was action packed of sorts. When Cory went on her runs it could get pretty serious. I definitely would be shaking in my bots if I ever can across them.

An awesome story line, mythology recreated for today's age and great writing equaled one great book! I would totally suggest this to everyone who is fond of mythology romance with a little bit of blood and vengeance put into the mix ;D Holy crap the romance dudes!!! I am in love with Niko!! I want one ;) haha I liked how Justina made each character important. I kind of saw the end coming but just the one part of the ending. The ending was killer and absolutely terrible! Then of course absolutely amazing!! Buy it borrow it, I don't care just give it a chance when you can ok? Trust me it's good! :)

***This review was a part of the Vengeance Bound Blog Tour hosted by AToMR Tours.***

~Rating:

4 of 5 stars!!! <3
(less)

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Mar 29, 2013 All Things Urban Fantasy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-abigail, earc, 2013-april-ya

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

When a book is described as ‘The Goddess Test meets Dexter’ it gets shoved to the very top of my TBR pile. What could be better than a teenage serial killer hunting down human monsters with the help of the Furies from Greek Mythology? It’s such an amazing premise that unfortunately fell just a little flat.

As a crazy rabid fan of the show Dexter, I was hoping to find another character who recognized the darker part of themselves and found a way to indulg...more Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

When a book is described as ‘The Goddess Test meets Dexter’ it gets shoved to the very top of my TBR pile. What could be better than a teenage serial killer hunting down human monsters with the help of the Furies from Greek Mythology? It’s such an amazing premise that unfortunately fell just a little flat.

As a crazy rabid fan of the show Dexter, I was hoping to find another character who recognized the darker part of themselves and found a way to indulge it without becoming as vile as her victims. That’s not exactly what we find in VENGEANCE BOUND. Cory is wracked by guilt and the sight of blood makes her ill. She’s an unwilling bystander mostly. The Furies burst forth when they find a new target and gleefully torture them before Cory is forced to make the killing blow (which comes off as humane at this point).

Then there’s the romance, which I’m sorry to say was on the average side. The whole point of the story involved Cory embracing and finding love in order to break free from the endless cycle of vengeance that the Furies demanded. You’d be expecting an epic love story, right? Not so much. Niko is handsome and he’s got some weird relationship going on a fragile girl that Cory befriends. These two have zero chemistry and practically zero meaningful interactions, but Cory is flustered and weak kneed from their first meeting.

I also had some issues with the pacing. There is a lot of repetition especially in the beginning. It almost felt like the author wrote three different versions of the beginning and instead of choosing one, she included all three. Really, you could almost start the book from chapter four and Cory’s first day of school. The premise, even with the slight character cop out for Cory, is still cool and it’s a nice change from the increasingly similar titles in the paranormal YA genre. There are also a few unexpected plot twists that kept me turning pages despite my other complaints. VENGEANCE BOUND is a good book, my criticisms stem more from the fact that it could have been amazing with a few changes. The ending is somewhat open, so I imagine a sequel is already in the works.

Sexual Content:
Kissing. Attempted sexual assault. Vague references to rape and sexual abuse.
(less)

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Jun 12, 2013 Anastasia & Demitra added it

Shelves: summer-of-standalones

*- Formatting has been lost during copy/paste*
More reviews @ Characterized (http://characterized.blogspot.com/)

There wasn't a lot of hype about Vengeance Bound, but there were enough outstanding reviews for me to establish high expectations for the novel (before I even read it). Unfortunately, not only did Vengeance Bound not live up to my expectations, but I found the overall concept of the book to be bland with little to no potential in regards to the story line. I actually won an ARC of Venge...more *- Formatting has been lost during copy/paste*
More reviews @ Characterized (http://characterized.blogspot.com/)

There wasn't a lot of hype about Vengeance Bound, but there were enough outstanding reviews for me to establish high expectations for the novel (before I even read it). Unfortunately, not only did Vengeance Bound not live up to my expectations, but I found the overall concept of the book to be bland with little to no potential in regards to the story line. I actually won an ARC of Vengeance Bound from a giveaway hop a while back. I eventually decided that I would begin to attack my ever-growing to-read list with Vengeance Bound being my first read - NOT the best idea I've had.

The overview, pretty much sums up the book - vague. I found myself extremely confused with the whole Furies concept. To cut it short, the Furies are voices in Cory's head that reign down with judgement on humans who've basically committed any wrong doing in their lives. (Stems from Greek Mythology). It began with major offenses done by men, and later became minor offenses (like sneezing and not covering your mouth. Although, I think that's right up there with 1st degree murder.) What irked me to the point where I almost did not finish the book was the author's use of "They", "It", and "Them." It made the Furies' appearance much more dramatic than it needed to be. In my opinion, the Furies and Cory, the main character, were not a creative focus. If I'm being 100% honest with my self here, I would have to say that I didn't find Vengeance Bound to be even the slightest bit interesting. I have a habit, where I finish every book I start (even if I find the plot dreadful); this habit kicked in for Vengeance Bound. The relationship between Cory and Niko, is intensified and exaggerated. It was insta-love -- forced, predictable, and irritatingly cliche.

I broke the format I usually followed. 'What I Liked', 'What I Didn't Like', 'To-Read?'. This was probably due to the fact, that my comments for all three sections are minimal. I'll answer these three sections as questions. What I liked? Not much. The cover was cool... What I Didn't Like? Mostly Everything. To-read? Uh, no. I don't think you should.(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars

First off, I want to say that I really love the authors name...and I really loved the premise for the book. Can you beat a female version of Dexter? I'm so tired of the weak-oh-woes-me characters appearing in YA fiction lately so Amelie/Cory was a welcome relief from that...but that's where my enthusiasm ends.

I wouldn't say that this book is awful, but it is definitely juvenile and redundant. I feel like Cory/Amelie spends most of her time dealing out justice with the furies, and the rest of the...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-tours, arc

I love stores about Greek mythology, especially when they occur in a modern day setting, so I was very intrigued when I saw that this book was going to be about furies, something I haven't read too many books about. Seventeen-year-old Cory Graff is the main character and heroine in this novel. She has been on her own since she was 15 years old, since escaping from the mental facility where she was institutionalized after a traumatic event and was subsequently taken advantage of by a not so upst...more I love stores about Greek mythology, especially when they occur in a modern day setting, so I was very intrigued when I saw that this book was going to be about furies, something I haven't read too many books about. Seventeen-year-old Cory Graff is the main character and heroine in this novel. She has been on her own since she was 15 years old, since escaping from the mental facility where she was institutionalized after a traumatic event and was subsequently taken advantage of by a not so upstanding doctor. This all occurred after Cory made a deal of sorts, which resulted in two furies, Tisiphone and Megaera, taking up residence inside Cory's head, only appearing to hand out what they believe is justice to men, never women. Cory is always aware that they are there, and try as she may to control them, when their blood lust becomes too strong she knows she must give in and let them out. They are only visible when she lets the out, and they know how to play on her emotions to encourage this. Cory finds herself moving from place to place, trying to live a normal life by day, then at night, when the furies demand justice, she often finds herself in the middle of a blood bath as the furies seek revenge on males they have determined are guilty and need punishment.

Now in a new place, Cory starts a new school going by the name Amelie, and for the first time finds herself actually having friends. One boy in particular, Niko, captures her attention and they end up falling for one another. Meanwhile, the furies are getting harder and harder to control, and her other new friend Amber, who isn't all that mentally stable, is very upset about Niko and Amelie. Amber has a crush on Niko, even though he has made it clear they are only friends, which intensifies the drama even further. Between things with the furies getting further out of hand, the evil doctor making an appearance, her relationship with Niko, and an unstable Amber, things climax into something Cory never saw coming, but will she survive, and will she even have a relationship with Niko after all is said and done?

I enjoyed Vengeance Bound. It is dark and very intense at times, with brutal murder justified as violent acts of vengeance, and twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Cory is a strong character and because of her circumstances, is much more mature than most 17-year-old girls. The furies themselves are something else. They are manipulative and hellbent on vengeance, and it was interesting seeing how they interacted with Cory, the inner struggles she went through while dealing with them, as well as seeing how they interacted with one another. I enjoyed the romance between Cory and Niko, which was sweet, but satisfying, and little unstable Amber really surprised me towards the end. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and if you are a fan of Greek mythology with a little murder, mystery, and romance mixed in, then Vengeance Bound is something you might want to check out. (less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Dark Faerie Tales rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-michelle

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A retelling with promise, only to leave me feeling disconnected from the story.

Opening Sentence: Annie shakes my arm frantically, startling me awake from a nightmare of blood and nameless terror.

The Review:

I had a little trouble getting into Justina Ireland’s Vengeance Bound. The premise sounds great. Furies who inhabit a young woman to help her deal out justice and revenge. But once I started reading Vengeance Bound, I never really connecte...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm not really sure how to describe this one. It was a lot of fun to read. It starts out with a bang, seeking justice and how can you hate that. I love my husband and boys in YA in general,but maybe I've watched a few too many CSI's or too many news stories. I like it when men get hunted down and served justice that the courts didn't give them. So, I really love Cory. She's taking care of the bad guys, the really, really bad ones. I do not have a problem with that! Smite away.

However, the things...more I'm not really sure how to describe this one. It was a lot of fun to read. It starts out with a bang, seeking justice and how can you hate that. I love my husband and boys in YA in general,but maybe I've watched a few too many CSI's or too many news stories. I like it when men get hunted down and served justice that the courts didn't give them. So, I really love Cory. She's taking care of the bad guys, the really, really bad ones. I do not have a problem with that! Smite away.

However, the things that are helping her are the Furies, yes those, from Greek Mythology. They came to her in a time of great need and she's had them literally in her ever since. Cory busts out of a mental institution having suffered greatly at the hands of her psychiatrist with his drug treatments. She's been on the run for two years now and has finally settled down back close to home in PA. Her parents died in a car crash on their way to visit her in another treatment center when she was young. She then went to live with a grandmother who also died. It had something to do with the Furies. All of it had something to do with them. But Cory can't escape them. She is quickly becoming their third. When she starts at a new high school, they whisper to her about all the horrible thoughts and misdeeds of every boy that passes by. But never the women. They never speak about the bad deeds of women. But they are more than happy to pass judgement on the boys and men. Until Niko comes along. They are eerily quiet around him.

The romance is pretty quick, Cory and Niko not being able to live without each other happens too soon. But I remember high school and how hard I fell for someone and how quickly so, I do try to cut some slack in the insta love department. And I don't know, I think if I had Cory's problem I'd want Niko around all the time, too if he can shut them up. But their declarations of love are a bit premature. They don't know anything about each other. Still it was forgivable. I think if there are Furies there is also Fate playing a hand so maybe they were fated.

The really fascinating part of the book was how Cory sought justice. The Furies couldn't manifest in the human world unless she let them. So they would find a different way to let her know who the victim was. Then Cory hunts this man. Always a man. She plays the victim one time to a tow truck driver who she finds in a bar. She talks to the bartender pretending she needs a tow and he points her to the tow truck driver, even though she knows who he is. Now the bartender sees them leave together. She's the last person to be seen with him. But when he turns up dead the next day miles away and his truck is in the bar parking lot and Cory's car is gone, no one is going to think to ask about her? Fingerprints? She's apparently very pretty. The bartender won't remember her? Some of those details didn't feel very tight to me. I tried to explain them away, but they just kept bugging me. But police investigative work isn't the point of the story. Just know you're going to have to accept those parts and move along or you'll miss the important stuff. Don't worry about fingerprints.

The point is this, Cory needed the Furies once a long time ago and now she doesn't. Now she's in danger of losing herself over to them. They are slowly gaining control of her. And if she doesn't find an answer to how to get rid of them, she'll be their third forever and Lord help the male population then. Because they will kill innocent men just as quick as guilty. As the story builds, the reason Cory needed the Furies in the first place begins to be revealed, another terrifying tale. Cory hasn't had an easy life. But there is hope for her and the ending is solid enough that I was really happy I read the novel.

Cory has a bit of snark that comes out when it shouldn't. Actually, her asides in her head are wicked good. She is also very practical. She's not used to having friends but she tries her hardest to be a good friend to the raggedy band of kids she chooses to sit with on her first day of school. She tries to shield Niko from her evil. But you can't love someone and only know half of them. Did I say I love that she kills the truly evil guys?? To me, she's the only fully developed character. The story seems so hurried we don't have enough time to learn anyone else any deeper. I will say, in the end, justice is served in every way imaginable.

I don't think this is a series. It felt complete to me. It's fun, quick and violent. I recommend it to lovers of action packed YA novels with a fast pace and romance. There is a definite nod to Greek Mythology with the Furies. Not for the younger set, typical older crowd things are mentioned, drinking, sex, there might have been some language but it wasn't excessive since I'm not remembering it and I just finished the book today. I suppose I should make better notes. I think it's a winner!

Heather(less)

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May 28, 2013 Lyrica rated it 3 of 5 stars

I loved the heroine of this story. I loved her background story, I loved her personality, I even mostly liked the setting she was in. I just didn't like any of the other characters of this book. I can't even say that I hated them, because honestly I felt like they didn't even exist. I would have loved for my heroine to have found strong friends and an even stronger guy with an actual interesting background story, but instead I was disappointed with weakly broken teens and a lost boy who is just...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Melissa Landers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: lucky-13s

What a wild ride! I love the way this book explores the fantasy of exacting justice/revenge against the wicked while reminding us of the toll that murder takes on our souls. (But I will say I enjoyed watching Amelie kick ass and take names.)

Loved the ending too, though I won't say anything more and spoil it. Justina, you rock my socks. Can't wait to read what you come up with next!

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Apr 12, 2013 Shehreyar Khan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, female-pov, mythology, fantasy, violent, young-adult, urban, paranormal

This book was violent. At least two dozen people died throughout.

I gave it half a star just for that. :D

The start was somewhat raw; it could have been done much better. The concepts were introduced far too quickly and I couldn't relate to the protagonist's hate for the person whom she wanted revenge against. After the first two chapters, however, the pacing issue solved itself and the story took a better turn. The tone got much darker too--darker than YA's usually get.

Some of the character's see...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Dragana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss, ya-paranormal, young-adult, tower-teams-read-2013, clean-romance, insta-love, mythology

With retelling of one of the less-used Greek myths about Furies, Vengeance Bound tells us a story about a girl possessed by these vengeful mythological beings. Amelie Ainsworth aka. Cory Graff is tortured by her own tragic past, running away from psychiatric hospital, fighting against unforgiving rightfulness of her possessors and desperately trying to save her integrity and a piece of her humanity.

Sounds like something awesome and original? Yes. Was it really? Weeeeeeeell... not so much. I don'...more

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May 05, 2013 Booknut rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bodies-bones-and-psychopaths, can-t-get-enough-of, books-i-love-dearly, curses, favorites, heartbreak-and-loss, heartwarming, high-school-dramas, mythology, sensitive-guys

'Silver chains encircle my arms, leading back to Them and binding us together. My vision splits in three, seeing what They see too. It's like looking at a dressing room mirror, each image slightly different.

Tisiphone's vision is bright colors and a flash of images as she reads his past crimes. Megaera's is cast in red, heat vision more than anything. She sees the pain of his past victims clinging to him. I can see only what is in front of me, but my weakness isn't a hindrance.

Three is the right...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Fairytale Nerd rated it 3 of 5 stars

See the BOOK REPORT CARD at The Fairytale Nerd.

I didn’t expect this book to be this dark – full of vengeance and blood. I think those are the words that would perfectly describe this book. As early as the first chapter, the reader is presented with a violent scene. For this reason, I would not recommend this book to the younger YA crowd or the faint-hearted. If you love dark and twisted stories, however, then I believe you would enjoy this book very much.

The main character is no weakling. She ki...more See the BOOK REPORT CARD at The Fairytale Nerd.

I didn’t expect this book to be this dark – full of vengeance and blood. I think those are the words that would perfectly describe this book. As early as the first chapter, the reader is presented with a violent scene. For this reason, I would not recommend this book to the younger YA crowd or the faint-hearted. If you love dark and twisted stories, however, then I believe you would enjoy this book very much.

The main character is no weakling. She kills rapists. But her personality is similar to other YA main characters - she likes boys, wants to be accepted and needs to feel normal. But I didn’t really connect with her, and she just seems forgettable for me.

Although the book is filled with blood and violence, there is a love story somewhere there. You see, the main character hears the voices of the furies in her head, and they are taking feminism to an extremely vengeful and violent level. So, this makes it quite difficult for the main character to date and kiss teenage boys. She might accidentally kill those poor boys. With that, I can say that the love story is unique – in a disturbing kind of way.

The book is written in such a way that one chapter focused on killing and the furies’ twisted sense of justice, and the next chapter would be focused on high school drama. I was actually very relieved by this. I probably would not finish this book if there was no drama at all. I think those breaks made the book more tolerable for me.

Although I enjoyed the story, I think it would’ve been more enjoyable had there been more mythology. This is, after all, a book about greek mythology and the furies. A little more background and history would make the book more interesting, in my opinion.

All in all, I would say that Vengeance Bound is not the usual YA book I read. It has much darker, much bolder themes. There were parts that bothered me. Sort of. But I got used to it eventually. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it as a whole. If you have a thing for dark and twisted stories, then check this out.(less)

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May 15, 2013 Kristine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay. It's 10:14 pm and I have just finished this. Not a good book to read on a school night if you ask me. And also,it isn't so much scary as just plain chilling and startling. I suppose it got a little monotonous,as there were a couple of killings throughout the book. At the end,I didn't really get what the message was. Embrace your past? Learn how horrific your dark side is? I wasn't very satisfied with the ending because (SPOILER): Just letting the Furies possess Mindi seems an easy way to e...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Kara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Even better reading a polished, published version. Still nightmare-inducing. LOVE THIS BOOK.

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Apr 06, 2013 Sarah marked it as dropped · review of another edition

DNF for now. Maybe I'll pick it back up eventually if I really feel like sticking it out. It's the best attempt at a Furies retelling I've seen yet (aside from Shirley Marr's Fury, as I said before) but it still was just so meh. I thought the brutality of the tone was at least something, and I get what the author was trying to do with the MC's big existential crisis, a la Dexter, but instead she just came off disjointed as a character and wishy-washy. But it's possible this may simply be a case...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Christal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, 2013-rlftci-book-count, 2013-nbrc, female-lead, mind-bullets, murder, urban-fantasy, mythology

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Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland has a fantastic premise but it only partially fulfilled its potential. The characters and the story itself fell a little flat unfortunately. I didn't feel connected to anyone and found that though I was intrigued to know what was going to happen, I didn't really care how the story played out. I just wanted to sit back and watch what happened.

The main character in this story is Cory, aka Amelie, and she...more See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland has a fantastic premise but it only partially fulfilled its potential. The characters and the story itself fell a little flat unfortunately. I didn't feel connected to anyone and found that though I was intrigued to know what was going to happen, I didn't really care how the story played out. I just wanted to sit back and watch what happened.

The main character in this story is Cory, aka Amelie, and she is by all accounts quite interesting. She suffered some childhood trauma and the Greek Furies answered her call for help. Now she shares her mind with them and they reap vengeance on guilty men together. The real problem begins when Cory starts to lose herself and the Furies begin to take on a life of their own. Cory feels very guilty about what happens when she loses control of the Furies, but at the same time, she likes feeling powerful. She feels justified when she can make the final judgement on a guilty man, but when the Furies start enacting their own judgements, she regrets the pain and violence they cause. Cory does attend high school to try to keep herself anchored to the human world and it is here that she meets Mindi and Niko.

Mindi is the first friend that Cory makes in her new school. After her parents and grandmother died, Cory travels from city to city tracking guilty men and living on her own. Mindi is the first person in a while that has made Cory feel wanted. Since Mindi seems to be very fragile, Cory is protective of her at first and grateful that she wants to be her friend. Niko is the aloof hot guy that Mindi obviously has a history with and that Cory just can't stay away from. As Cory grows closer to Niko, the Furies and Mindi start to show darker sides to themselves. Mindi becomes angry and accuses Cory of being her friend only to get closer to Niko while the Furies ramp up their attempts to overtake Cory's mind and fully integrate her as one of them. Cory struggles with telling Niko the truth and risking a broken heart that could send her careening into the Furies' arms.

Cory, Mindi, Niko, and the Furies were all fairly one-dimensional. We never get a good sense of who the characters actually are. Cory is often dominated by the strength of the Furies and never seems to grow into her own character. The insta-love between Cory and Niko was fairly unbelievable, especially after Niko learned the truth about the Furies. I never felt any chemistry between them or believed that Niko would really stand by Cory's side. Mindi's character was all over the map. She would go from depressed and crying one minute to angry and violent the next. No one seemed to really care or suggested that she needed professional help, instead they just brushed it off as the normal thing. It seemed a bit strange but she was necessary for the story to end the way it did.

The plot of the story was exciting and filled with twist and turns. Even though I never felt engrossed in the story, I did find it interesting and wanted to see what ending Ms. Ireland would give Cory. The story wrapped up well and had plenty of closure. I don't think this needs to be a series, especially if the new main character is who I think it would be. Cory's journey was interesting to read in a detached way, but I wish I could have connected to the material more.

Caution:Vengeance Bound is very dark and contains a lot of descriptive violence. Some fairly graphic scenes depict the guilty men's crimes. I would recommend this book be limited to an older YA audience.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for providing an ARC copy of this book!(less)

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Apr 19, 2013 Sudha rated it 3 of 5 stars

At first, the story wasn't too interesting, but then as the greater danger came it got more interesting and fun to read. Firstly, the cover doesn't go too well with the story. Before the Furies Amelie did have brown hair, but through more than 90% of the book she was one of Them. It doesn't go too well with the story, not relating much to it. We doesn't see that much except for the basics of the myth. The Furies aren't the big focus of the story, but becoming human, dealing with new love and fri...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Laurel Mae rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars (some mild spoilers)

This book was like Dexter (vigilante killer aspect) meets Revenge (female with a vengeance) meets Greek Mythology(the Furies). I have read a couple of books about Furies but I loved learning all about each of the three in this one!

I really enjoyed this book and finished it so quickly that it was never even in my Currently Reading because by the time a started it, I'd finished it! I know a couple people were bothered about the capitalization of the Them, They, Their;...more 3.5 stars (some mild spoilers)

This book was like Dexter (vigilante killer aspect) meets Revenge (female with a vengeance) meets Greek Mythology(the Furies). I have read a couple of books about Furies but I loved learning all about each of the three in this one!

I really enjoyed this book and finished it so quickly that it was never even in my Currently Reading because by the time a started it, I'd finished it! I know a couple people were bothered about the capitalization of the Them, They, Their; But this never bothered me (I can see why it would others) but i thought it was an easy way to know that the protagonists was talking about the Furies without having to formally address that she is each time. It makes things less confusing (I thought so anyway).

As for the characters I did feel a little disconnected in some parts and found myself confused with their behavior and the choices they made. This was just a personal thing for me as some books I can find common ground with characters and can really feel like I know them but with this at times I did feel distant. The relationship with (view spoiler) felt kind of sudden in some ways but I suppose after discovering all of her secrets she was bound to feel more comfortable with him. The whole deal with Mindi was a little freaky and (view spoiler). In the end though I liked the turn out of (view spoiler) relationship and loved the ultimatum sort of ending, I found it quite a sweet and a mature decision but now I'm absolutely crazy wondering what the turnout will be!

Alas, there were quite a few pros and cons and I've given it a 3.5 but a 3 felt too harsh so I rounded it to 4. Also just to clarify I'm awful at doing book reviews (due to the fact they're either far too brief or far too babbly) but I just had a few things I wanted to address. I'm eager for the next book (If there even is one)but from the end it seems there is quite a cliffhanger which I'd be thoroughly disappointed if it was never revealed to us!
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May 04, 2013 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, kindle, edelweiss

3.5 stars

review appears on My ParaHangover

Ever notice that there are authors who are great with crazy story ideas and concepts and on the other side there are authors who do a fantastic job building worlds and characters to live in those worlds? But it’s the rare and fantabulous book that combines all these qualities; combines both the crazy unique story idea with the well fleshed-out supporting world and characters. These books for me are ones written by Kim Harrison, Patricia Briggs, Rachel V...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dft, young-adult, read-2013, paranormal, fiction, fantasy

Posted on Dark Faerie Tales.

I had a little trouble getting into Justina Ireland’s Vengeance Bound. The premise sounds great. Furies who inhabit a young woman to help her deal out justice and revenge. But once I started reading Vengeance Bound, I never really connected to the main character or the story itself. But there are so many factors why it didn’t work for me and why it could for you.

After a traumatic episode, Cory was institutionalized. Due to the Furies who take up residence in her inter...more Posted on Dark Faerie Tales.

I had a little trouble getting into Justina Ireland’s Vengeance Bound. The premise sounds great. Furies who inhabit a young woman to help her deal out justice and revenge. But once I started reading Vengeance Bound, I never really connected to the main character or the story itself. But there are so many factors why it didn’t work for me and why it could for you.

After a traumatic episode, Cory was institutionalized. Due to the Furies who take up residence in her internal psyche, Cory’s parents feared her, leaving no choice but to take residence in the mental hospital. But she fell victim to a certain doctor, and after months of slumbering Furies, she allowed them to awaken and wreck havoc. Cory was saved by the Furies, escaping into a life away from that danger. But the Furies weren’t satisfied with casting judgement on the doctor. Some time has passed and Cory and the Furies live in a new life, attempting normalcy during the day and passing judgement at night. Little by little the Furies are controlling her body, and the fight for normalcy is getting harder and harder. Will Cory survive her life and better yet, will she survive the Furies?

Cory is a strong character. With the events that Ireland has written for Cory, it was realistic to see her with flaws. Cory has these internal struggles within herself and with the Furies. They definitely don’t make it easier for Cory, at all. But I felt that her voice wasn’t fluid, losing her strength along the way. I couldn’t completely connect with her because of her actions and decisions. And I know that is the point of the Furies invading her mind, but it was just difficult to separate them. I couldn’t get a sense of who Cory really was, and it somewhat ruined the reading experience for me.

While attempting to live a normal life, Cory meets Niko. He has eyes that penetrate and Cory feels he is staring straight into her soul. Niko is the unrequited love interest. It is interesting to see how Cory and Niko interact with each other. Niko becomes infatuated with Cory and makes her question her whole world. She goes against every belief that she has been living with since she left the institution.

Vengeance Bound is dark, which is refreshing given the other choices in young adult at the moment. Ireland brings the main character to dark places and thoughts. A few moments had me contemplating if this should even be considered YA. There are graphic scenes, detailed to complete the mood and overall setting. Demons, murderers, demented minds make up for a lot of the judged and the things that happen to them aren’t for the faint of heart.

Vengeance Bound has a lot of promise. For the most part, it was fast-paced with twists and turns that I didn’t expect. I felt there were a few odd areas with slow and staggered pacing, but overall it was enjoyable. For myself, it was just okay, but like I’ve said my personal preferences may vary from yours.(less)

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Apr 13, 2013 Merin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: edelweiss, mythology, 2013-dac, read-in-2013

As anyone who has read my reviews is probably well aware of at this point, I am a huge sucker for books based on mythology of any kind. Vengeance Bound is a semi-retelling of the Furies, except that our main character, Corinne, is one of the three ladies of justice. She and the other two spend the majority of their time chasing down criminals and administering their own brand of justice. Cory also has a backstory that details how the Furies came to be inside her, and a history with an evil docto...more As anyone who has read my reviews is probably well aware of at this point, I am a huge sucker for books based on mythology of any kind. Vengeance Bound is a semi-retelling of the Furies, except that our main character, Corinne, is one of the three ladies of justice. She and the other two spend the majority of their time chasing down criminals and administering their own brand of justice. Cory also has a backstory that details how the Furies came to be inside her, and a history with an evil doctor she desperately wants revenge on.

This book was exceptionally fast paced. I began reading it and, before I knew it, was already halfway through. The plot moves quickly, with Cory and the other Furies going out at night to punish wrongdoers, and attending a new high school during the day. While at school she becomes friends with a group of kids who have their own issues, although said issues aren't completely apparent in the beginning. She also falls for one of the guys in the group, Niko, who I liked quite a bit. Their relationship was fairly slow moving, although Cory of course gets that "weak in the knees" feeling from the get-go.

My biggest issue with this book wasn't the mythology, which was interesting, or the plot, which was engrossing. The biggest problem was that I really didn't connect with Cory or any of the other characters at all. I was sort of just surface reading, if that makes sense, not feeling any attachment to their plights or Cory's struggle to maintain her hold on the Furies so they didn't completely take over her body. Normally a book that has as much blood and gore as this one would prompt some kind of response - a flinch or wince or something - but that wasn't the case here at all. I was sort of like Cory, in that I was along for the ride. It was a very strange reading experience for me. I can't recall the last time I felt so dispassionate about a book's proceedings.

Still, Vengeance Bound was entertaining enough in that fluffy way. Fans of mythology will enjoy the backstory to the Furies origin, and those who enjoy seeing criminals get their comeuppance will also have something to cheer for. The romance is sweet enough but nothing earth-shattering, and - at least on Cory's part - a bit too insta-lovy for my tastes, although I did wind up liking the two of them and their sweet shared moments and steamy kisses. The ending seems open to a possible sequel, but I'm not sure I'll be reading. It wasn't a bad way to spend an afternoon, but I really can't say anything more enthusiastic than that.

An e-galley was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

***

To see more of my reviews, please visit me @ Read and Reviewed!

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Jun 09, 2013 Ariella rated it 3 of 5 stars

Read more of my reviews at Secrets of Lost Words.

Rating: C

Vengeance Bound was something I was really excited about. The synopsis promised a story with Furies and Greek Mythology. While it wasn't what I originally expected, I still enjoyed it.

Cory Graff has the Furies in her head. They whisper violent, bloody thoughts to her and seek the death of men. She was bound when she was a child and she has learned (somewhat) to deal with it. After escaping the asylum a few years ago with their help, Cory...more

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May 31, 2013 the golden witch. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, wishlist, ebook, edelweiss, crime, teenage-shennanigans, fairy-tales-retold, arc-galley, gods-and-monsters, magical-reality, what-is-this-i-dont-even, this-is-my-design, reviewed, nightmare-stag

3.5/5 stars.

This book is pitched as “Dexter” meets “The Goddess Test”, and I have to say, upon reflection, it really is a very good summary of this book. “Vengeance Bound” is the story of a girl possessed by the Furies, wanting to find their Third and become a true force of power in the world once again, and a girl who wants revenge on the man that helped destroy her life. And as engrossing as this book was, I feel like in the end, there were one too many loose ends not tied up, and questions un...more 3.5/5 stars.

This book is pitched as “Dexter” meets “The Goddess Test”, and I have to say, upon reflection, it really is a very good summary of this book. “Vengeance Bound” is the story of a girl possessed by the Furies, wanting to find their Third and become a true force of power in the world once again, and a girl who wants revenge on the man that helped destroy her life. And as engrossing as this book was, I feel like in the end, there were one too many loose ends not tied up, and questions unanswered. I usually don’t mind when the author leaves it to the reader to fill in the blanks by themselves, but these felt like continuity errors more than anything else. However, I do have to say that I did enjoy it quite a bit. If you’re looking for a Greek mythology retelling with a little more bite to it, definitely give “Vengeance Bound” a try. There are some spoilers in this review, so you’ve been warned.

My biggest issue with this book: the continuity errors/consistency issues. We get a lot of information (Niko quieting down the furies, how Alekto escaped, why Goodhart wanted Cory/Amelie as his lab rat), but we don’t get much more than a few sentences in explanation (if that) in terms of a lot of this very important backstory. A few little tiny infodumps, and that was it – and it was really inadequate in terms of the backstory part of worldbuilding. Ireland needed to integrate backstory a little bit more into her worldbuilding, though I will say she did a really good job creating her world even without much backstory for the audience to go on. It was quite absorbing, so I can’t completely knock her down there.

There’s also a pretty big medical error in the ARC version I read, and it made me cringe: the issue of “multiple personality disorder”. I really, really hope that the author did her final checks before this went to pub, because MPD no longer exists. As of the DSM-IV manual (second or third edition, I think), it’s now called DID – disassociative identity disorder. As for Goodhart wanting Amelie because he thought the Furies were other identities she had and getting money from drug companies to treat her/them…as far as I know, that too is a bit outdated as DID is now mainly being researched with less medication and more with brain mapping – specifically, regions in the brain where neurons that help cause DID are known to misbehave. I feel like since this is such a large part of the book in terms of Cory/Amelie questioning her sanity when her grip on the Furies is starting to slip AND with Goodhart on the run (as well as his motives), more research on Ireland’s part really should have been warranted or at least explained. DID doesn’t really manifest itself in patients much before their twenties, either, so I felt like that needed to be talked about a little, too. Or something – more than what we got. DID is a really complicated disorder, and Ireland did it more than a bit of an injustice here as using it as a plot device, and even though I don’t have this diagnosis, I do have a family friend and a friend who do, and they’ve suffered quite a bit.

For that big mistake alone, one half star gets knocked off.

The rest, though? The rest was awesome. Much like Dexter has his Dark Passenger, Cory/Amelie had her Furies, and it felt very much like Dexter for the YA set in the serial killer area alone. He too loses power over his Dark Passenger – in fact, there’s a whole book dedicated to it in the book series alone, as well as all of season 6 in the TV series. I saw a LOT of Dexter in Amelie, and it felt like a good tribute, all mistakes and loose ends aside, and that made me happy. More over, throwing the Furies into the mix was a great idea, and the idea that they could get corrupt from their own power was a fantastic one to work off of – abusing the privilege of using Amelie as their vessel by taking off with her body, for example, was one of my favorite parts. It really gives them more shape as characters within Greek myth, and one that only one other YA book so far that’s based around the Furies has talked about (Jill Wolfson’s “Furious”). However, I did feel like Alekto wasn’t as well-crafted as the other two Furies, and that was a bit disappointing. There was plenty of room to give Alekto more shape than just a scolding ex-Fury trying to save girls from her fate.
The character building in general was more or less okay, but I feel like it needed another draft to fully flesh out some of the more important main cast characters like Alekto and later, Niko. None of the guys get much character development here, but seeing aside from Niko that they don’t get much face time, I was okay with that. But as Niko becomes the main love interest and the main way for Cory/Amelie to help keep the Furies under control – well, character building on his part is pretty important. However, Ireland manages to save this character by NOT making it insta-love, thankfully, and has an ending that was surprisingly light, but not exactly a standard HEA. Which I was happy with. Regarding that non-standard HEA – I can easily see another book with Mindi as the protagonist. I won’t say anything further there because of spoilers. But Niko? He felt very filmsy at times, just propping up Cory/Amelie when she needed the Furies to shut up. Which was more of an editing issue – one more draft could have helped develop him a bit better.

I will say that Ireland is quite gifted in the sensory language area, and I feel like that’s where she excelled the most, along with pacing. The pacing was good and even, and though there were areas where I wanted to linger and get a little more backstory where I felt it was insufficient, the consistency of the pacing overall won out over those times I did want to linger. Ireland did the best in these two areas, followed by worldbuilding, and then character building (if I had to rank them).

Final verdict? While there was one big mistake and a few other areas that badly needed another draft, “Vengeance Bound” was a really good read, one I’d recommend for the YA set that enjoys books like the Dexter series. “Vengeance Bound” is out now from Simon and Schuster in North America, so be sure to check it out once you get the chance!

(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)(less)

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Mar 30, 2013 Pam rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-stars-2013, ebooks-read-in-2013, paranormal-read-in-2013, read-in-2013, ya-read-in-2013

Everyone thinks Cory Graff is crazy and dangerous. They are only partly right. She is dangerous but not crazy. She is locked in an asylum because of the danger she poses and the voices she hears.She has two other people in her head and they really aren't people. They are the Hawk and Serpent Furies. They helped her when she was young if she agreed to let them in and help them get vengeance against evil men. The furies finally help Cory break free of the asylum. She now lives a somewhat normal li...more Everyone thinks Cory Graff is crazy and dangerous. They are only partly right. She is dangerous but not crazy. She is locked in an asylum because of the danger she poses and the voices she hears.She has two other people in her head and they really aren't people. They are the Hawk and Serpent Furies. They helped her when she was young if she agreed to let them in and help them get vengeance against evil men. The furies finally help Cory break free of the asylum. She now lives a somewhat normal life. She goes to school during the day wanting a normal life. There she meets Niko who keeps the Furies quiet. She doesn't let Niko know her secret about the Furies or the fact that at night she tracks down and kills bad people to satisfy the Furies. Soon the Furies in her mind become stronger and begin to push Cory more and more to kill and to track down the main person on their kill list. Cory knows she has to fight them and get control or her new life will be over.

Cory is unlike any character I have read about. In a way she is 3 sometimes 4 people in one. She has had a horrible life and has been mistreated by so many people. I think most people would have gave up and stayed in the asylum to escape her old life. She doesn't and that shows her strength. The Furies are like something out of a horrible fairy tale told to bad kids to keep them in line. They are viscous and won't let anything get in there way. They love to kill. Niko you would think would run for the hills at how odd Cory acts but he doesn't he helps her anyway he can and is amazing.

This is a very refreshing book that will make anyone who thinks all YA books are the same old same old think again. I really loved this book and loved getting inside Cory's head. Yeah it is crowded in there but it is so fascinating!! So many twist in this book I didn't see coming. It surprised me and the ending left me shocked. As you read you get to see more and more of Cory's background and what all she has been thru. I love the way it is written. Usually I like straight forward books but I loved getting the little flashbacks. I do have to say some of the people the Furies killed I was glad they did. No I am not a bad person you just have to read this book to see why. I could go on and on but I don't want to give any spoilers. People check this book out it is so phenomenal and you will love it.
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