Slice of Cherry

Sep 22, 2011 Lucy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-of-age, gloomy, fantasy, horror, paranormal, serial-killers, wasn-t-for-me, young-adult

I went into this book wanting to like it -- the original sounding premise made me feel eager and optimistic. I've been shuffling through a few slow moving books on my currently reading list (Forever *yawn*) so the way this book seemed to run and jump from page one thrilled me. It was never slow... and that statement is probably the only one I can say without a "but" qualification on the tail end.

The world building, or lack thereof, drove me insane. I want to be able to say Reeves has an incredib...more I went into this book wanting to like it -- the original sounding premise made me feel eager and optimistic. I've been shuffling through a few slow moving books on my currently reading list (Forever *yawn*) so the way this book seemed to run and jump from page one thrilled me. It was never slow... and that statement is probably the only one I can say without a "but" qualification on the tail end.

The world building, or lack thereof, drove me insane. I want to be able to say Reeves has an incredible imagination, but since that imagination is totally without discipline it's a squinty-eyed judgment call. It's easy to keep pulling things out of your ass if you haven't given yourself a set of guidelines to work with. If anything can happen then is it really artful imagination or is it a toddler with a set of crayons attacking a white wall? Anything can happen in the small town of Portero and nothing is ever explained. Why does this town have magic doorways and monsters? Where do the monsters come from? Why do they never move on once they're there? If they come through the doors, are they still somehow tied to the door -- because otherwise wouldn't they spread out? What does the outside world know of Portero and why do people live there if you have to go from place to place in groups so you aren't eaten by monsters?

Very little of Portero's monster issues have anything to do with the plot of Slice of Cherry either. The magical doorways are of significance, but the monsters? Not so much. They're just humdrum facts like Venice has a lot of water and Manhattan has a lot of tall buildings. I wanted to know how all the doors worked and why they were there blah blah blah all my whining and I never got much in the way of answers. Outsiders are tentatively aware of Portero, but they think it's all made up...?

The editors didn't do Reeves any favors by letting her imagination run rampant. Harry Potter has some of the greatest world building of all time, say whatever else you want about the series but the world building is untouchable. There's structure and rules and still room for infinite creativity. Even Twilight with the diamond skinned sparkling vampires had clear cut rules and reasons. Reeves should have sat down at some point and forced herself to write rules down then laminate those rules so she never broke them. There was absolutely no way for Reeves to plot herself into a corner and think her way out of it because her imagination just knocked down any wall.

From there on... the confusion in the book doesn't get much better. The Cordelle sisters are the daughters of a convicted serial killer on death row who have chosen self-isolation over the town's ridicule and disgust. The book speaks about innocence and how sometimes a whole family is convicted, innocent right along with the guilty. People are often cruel to the girls even though they've done nothing wrong. There was a chance this might've been the message of the book... if the sisters hadn't been knife-wielding lunatics too. Both girls are blood thirsty despite pleasant childhoods far removed from the thing their father did, which I guess makes a case for homicidal urges being nature over nurture. I don't agree with that and really it justified the way everyone treated the girls. I could've understood it more if something had happened to make the girls want to kill, but they had happy childhoods with two people who loved them.

The sisters are killers on different ends of the spectrum. I believe the terms are organized and disorganized killers, the difference being an ability to plan and self-control. Fancy, the younger sister, is a sociopath who doesn't regard people other than her family as actual people and the other, Kit, is more of a spree killer, the impulsive sort who are usually caught fast because they leave evidence and witnesses. In the first half of the book they are portrayed very accurately as their serial killer types. They exhibit personality traits and circle around each other like a killing team. In the latter half of the book they both seem to grow out of the more blindly violent sides of their personalities, which is not something that would've happened in reality. A boyfriend doesn't turn a sociopath into a normal person. Love does not stop an impulse killer from losing her temper and shoving a knife in you. It was very realistic and then not at all realistic -- overall an extremely erratic read.

The sisters have a strange relationship and there are some scenes that seemed to toe the line at incest. Who knows? I think Fancy would've been down with that if Kit hadn't been quiet so penis-crazy. Oh, and there is some actual incest/child molestation later on in the book with different characters. Eh. I don't have much to say on the subject because it all seemed so randomly tossed in there.

Almost all the murders are sort of candy coated. They take place in a fantasy world? fantasy bubble? known as the happy place. It's kind of like a Tim Burton movie, candied blood. It should feel dark but it felt closer to a child's day dream than anything really gory. One person is flattened and his life essence comes out like tooth paste? Another person is over fed at a tea party (I believe large parts of the book were influenced by Alice in Wonderland) until they explode? It alternated between too mature and too silly in dizzying turns. Overall the book had very little discipline, like something written in fits and turns during drug binges.

Anyway, I checked out Dia Reeves FAQ on her website, first to see if reading the books out of order would be an issue and then to see if she had any clarifying notes. Presumably when one writes an FAQ you are clarifying some repeated questions so that you don't snap and kill someone who asks a repeat for 3,231st time, but the FAQ read like someone who had already snapped. It was very off-putting. From clicking around her blog I gathered she is not a fan of 'people.' So... don't bother with FAQ or a blog if you don't want to interact with fans? JD Salinger wasn't a people person either, but he didn't have a blog with rainbows and clouds. It annoyed me out of reading Bleeding Violets -- something I'm sure is for the best since it seems to be even worse (and more graphic and more random) than this book.

I do not recommend. It's not a lavish dark fantasy. It's pink soap bubbles that may or may not have been tinged with blood. Strange, but gone in an instant and easily forgotten.(less)

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Mar 23, 2011 Mariel rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: dead disco dancer's son

Recommended to Mariel by: papa was a rodeo

Thank you so very much to Tommy for giving me this book. You are the bestest ever.
Dia! I'm going to give your second book two stars, even though I enjoyed parts of it, because you didn't improve on any of the flaws from your first book, Bleeding Violet. Didn't you read my review?!
Plot points were abandoned. Portero was not realized that well in the first book, and especially not enough that it is a lazy excuse to do whatever you feel like doing when you don't have the kahunas or finesse whatever...more

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Jan 01, 2011 Nic rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, paranormal-supernatural-world, 2010

Favourite Quote "But what if the monsters come?"
"Fancy." Kit looked away from the drama to stare at her sisters, surprised. "We are the monsters."

Slice of Cherry is DIFFERENT. Did I like it? Yes. Did it scare the crap out of me? Yes? It twisted? YES!

The world of Portero is hands down the strangest the world I have ever read. The description of this world is amazing. Dia Reeves writing is fast moving, unpredictable and engrossing. However even though I did enjoy this, quite a few times I was thi...more

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May 11, 2013 Blake rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: tragic, this-was-absolute-shit, mild-romance, dafuq-did-i-just-read, fuck-fuck-fuck

Okay, alright I think I've finally come up with something to say about this book. Straight up fucking odd. When I read the first few pages and the back, I loved it. Kit was obviously the rougher out of the two but it quickly stopped there. I can't even put my finger on it but the way the two sisters acted was just off. Yet, the second they both get a couple of guys... Bam! They're converted saints. They gain these teenage-girl-like qualities with a side helping of their old ways. Turns out all t...more Okay, alright I think I've finally come up with something to say about this book. Straight up fucking odd. When I read the first few pages and the back, I loved it. Kit was obviously the rougher out of the two but it quickly stopped there. I can't even put my finger on it but the way the two sisters acted was just off. Yet, the second they both get a couple of guys... Bam! They're converted saints. They gain these teenage-girl-like qualities with a side helping of their old ways. Turns out all they wanted was a dick to fix them up. Fine, whatever, I can accept that and set it aside. I can also accept the fact that there was no development whasoever on Portero which is what screwed me over. I'm done the book, yet I still don't know if they were living in a real world the whole time or not. Monsters roaming the streets with no reason behind it? Doors and fairy rings? The fuck. But saying all that, I couldn't get over that I felt like I was in one of the Saw movies. Because of the lack of description of ANYTHING, I had this image in my head of what everything looked like the entire time that I was reading. And it was blank, full of blood and just straight up weird and full of meaningless murder. No world building whatsoever. So much was missing from this whole book yet the author managed to fill up 505 pages of useless shit. It's like she went and sneezed it all up one day and handed it to a publisher the morning after. The sisters, the plot, the message, were all over the place! Because you know what? It didn't even exist. I actually had moments were I stopped and put the book down and re-evaluated whether I actually thought this was a good idea to read. Now I know a lot of people love fast pacing stories but let me tell you, some parts that could've taken up a good chapter, ended up being half a page long. Looking back on it now, there was nothing that particularly stood out for me that I actually liked because a lot of it was the same, it just all blends into a big blob of nothing. They wander, the find a target, they kill, they talk to some boys. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. I'm sorry Reeves but this was just completely out there. Next time, atleast fix up some of the incest that occurs in this story before you throw it out at the world. (less)

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Aug 08, 2012 Terra rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, highly-recommend, favorites, i-own-a-copy, read-2011

WOW! When it comes to Dia's writing I become speechless. She has a way of capturing her readers, in a dark and disturbing way, which I personally love.

Slice of Cherry WAS dark and disturbing, but also had some deep meaning. The relationship between two sisters, though extremely off kilter, had such a deep bond, that no one could come between. And if Fancy was ever threatened off losing her sister, Kit, she would be sure to rid that person of their life. Or at least from the real world. Fancy an...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Hirondelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, weird, second-novel-syndrome

Teen psychopath Narnia. Seriously.

I really wonder if this or Bleeding Violet was written first - there is a cameo here by the characters in Bleeding Violet and this must be set almost a year after BV, but that means nothing about which was actually written first, and this book feels a lot less polished and a lot more incoherent than BV. And I liked it a lot less.

I had a lot of problems with this book:
- the universe and its setup is never explained. Ok. But there is a sort of inconsistency, in so...more

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Oct 08, 2010 ~Tina~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to ~Tina~ by: Arc Winner

Shelves: freezer-worthy-ish, young-adult, signed, arc

I was lucky enough to win an Arc and sink my teeth in a nice thick piece of Slice of Cherry. So Thank-you Dia Reeves, for sending me a copy and for the nightmares that followed it;)

From Fancy's Dream Diary:
A doctor examined me and Kit and said the reason we were sick was because Kit had my heart and I had hers. But when he switched our hearts, they stopped beating.

Move over YA! Dia Reeves is back with her second horror novel, and if y'all thought Bleeding Violet was shutter-worthy, you haven't...more I was lucky enough to win an Arc and sink my teeth in a nice thick piece of Slice of Cherry. So Thank-you Dia Reeves, for sending me a copy and for the nightmares that followed it;)

From Fancy's Dream Diary:
A doctor examined me and Kit and said the reason we were sick was because Kit had my heart and I had hers. But when he switched our hearts, they stopped beating.

Move over YA! Dia Reeves is back with her second horror novel, and if y'all thought Bleeding Violet was shutter-worthy, you haven't read nothin yet.
Slice of Cherry isn't your sunshine and daises kind of book, no fluff-n-stuff here folks, this is pure psychotic terror at it's finest.

Once in awhile I like to push my own limit when it comes to horror books, since I'm chicken sh*t and all, so normally I wont read these kind of books, like evah, but Dia Reeves has such an incredible talent to make even the sickest elements intriguing. Not that I didn't freak the hell out, cause I so did. In fact, I had to stop the book repeatedly and flick on Disney to get a scene out of my head, which mind you, didn't work. Still, her characters and storyline are so wickedly fascinating that I found myself invested in the dark and distrubing minds of these characters.

Meet the Cordelle sisters, Fancy and Kit. There father is on death row, being the Bonesaw killer and all, but these two seem to have inherited his love for blood-lust. They are with out a doubt the two crazies chicks I ever read in my entire reading existence. Not only do they enjoy the fine art of torture, blood and sticking body parts in jars, but they'll do it with a smile plastered to there faces. Happiness is, after all, a bloody knife. True, they only do it to those who they think deserve it, but dammmme!
Meet the Turner brothers Ilan and Gabriel...eh, lets just say that they are a well placed match for the sister here.

I don't want to give to much away since this book isn't published till Jan, but bottom line, this book will freak you out. I loved it and feared it at the same time. It's twisted in ways that you'd be surprised that it's even YA, but the sisters connection is surprisingly touching, in a very strange whack-out way. So for those of you who is faint at heart (like meee) then I wouldn't recommend this book, but if you like your books with a side of crazy and deranged, then this is the book for you.

Creepy, cracked and bizarrely brilliant, y'all are going to want a serving of a Slice of Cherry once this hits the shelves!(less)

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Nov 27, 2012 Jamie/Theodora added it

“But what if the monsters come?"
"Fancy." Kit looked away from the drama to stare at her sister, surprised. "We are the monsters.”. Everyone has a monster inside of them. Some just let it out. Slice of Cherry has twisted characters, supernatural elements, and a very interesting plot. In this book Dia Reeves takes you into a whole other world filled with magic, tragedy, and triumph.

Its not easy jumping into the real world when you have lived in your own world for so long. Fancy and Kit are as clo...more
“But what if the monsters come?"
"Fancy." Kit looked away from the drama to stare at her sister, surprised. "We are the monsters.”. Everyone has a monster inside of them. Some just let it out. Slice of Cherry has twisted characters, supernatural elements, and a very interesting plot. In this book Dia Reeves takes you into a whole other world filled with magic, tragedy, and triumph.

Its not easy jumping into the real world when you have lived in your own world for so long. Fancy and Kit are as close as sisters can get. They do everything together, all the time. The sisters father, the Bonesaw Killer, has just been sent to death row. The girls are trying their best to stay away from everyone as hard as they can, and since its summer they are doing a good job of it. But then Madda, their mom, enrolls them in summer classes, and not even in the same ones. They are forced to be among people and not even have each other to help cope with everything.

But then Gabriel and Ilan Turner come into their lives. The sisters don’t usually notice boys, but their dad had killed their dad before he was arrested. Kit jumps into things fast with Gabriel, but Fancy isn’t so sure about the brothers. After all the sisters have been a duo for a long time, letting other people in was new and scary.

The two main characters in the book are twisted, weird and crazy. Kit, the older sister, has “franken” locked up in their basement and cuts him up everyday with an exacto knife because he had broken into their house to get bonesaw memorabilia. Fancy, the younger sister, accepts Kit’s weird, twisted ways but does not do those things herself, despite her twisted thoughts. She often has thoughts of killing everyone else because those other people hate her family for their father’s actions. Together, while crazy, they unite against the rest of the town.

The supernatural elements in the book were very interesting. People in the town have powers, like Fancy who can make any scene, real or not, appear in any clear object. For example, Kit asks her to show her their dad who is on death row, so fancy tries to show him to her. Also, many monsters terrorize the the town on a daily basis. The girls were going to the store, and as usual the street is wrecked because monsters came through town. The supernatural occurrences in this book are not scarce.

Slice of Cherry has twisted characters, supernatural elements, and a very interesting plot. This book was very interesting and different. I really enjoyed this it, it was very grossing. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the supernatural and a good love plot. I plan on reading the other book by Dia Bleeding Violet in the future.(less)

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Sep 03, 2012 Mayi Castro (ReadingWithCoffee) added it

Rating: 3.5/5
The Summary from my point of view:

Sisters Kit and Fancy Cordelle struggle to socialize in their hometown Portero, Texas after being shunned for being the daughters of a serial killer. But they shouldn’t play victims either since they have a thirst to kill themselves, just like their father. The sisters both have a desire to kill for different reasons. Kit likes to kill to clear Portero from bad people such as rapists, bullies, cheaters, etc. Fancy likes to kill because she enjoys th...more Rating: 3.5/5
The Summary from my point of view:

Sisters Kit and Fancy Cordelle struggle to socialize in their hometown Portero, Texas after being shunned for being the daughters of a serial killer. But they shouldn’t play victims either since they have a thirst to kill themselves, just like their father. The sisters both have a desire to kill for different reasons. Kit likes to kill to clear Portero from bad people such as rapists, bullies, cheaters, etc. Fancy likes to kill because she enjoys the thrill of it.

The gore in this book is very present. The girls enjoy playing with the people they catch by cutting them or putting on a show for their death.

The Cordelle sisters also have supernatural powers in their blood. Fancy is more in touch with her powers than Kit, and she is able to open “doors” to other realities and be in touch with their long dead ancestor — Cherry. Cherry had an ability to talk to ghosts and could help them escape the limbo they were in.

Kit and Fancy are also struggling with their social life. Fancy is very quiet and very antisocial, always putting herself away. She only talks to her sister and her mother. Kit starts to hang out with a boy, which triggers Fancy’s jealousy. Her jealousy makes her want to kill more and more and not care about the consequences.

My Opinion:

This book is definitely not for everyone. I started reading it because the cover and the teaser looked really interesting. If I knew all of the other details about this book I probably wouldn’t want to read it. It was hard at times to pick it up and I was very confused when reading it because I couldn’t grasp what the plot was.

I think the idea of this book in a whole was pretty good –two teenage girls being the daughters of a serial killer trying to fit into society. However, I think the author took a wrong turn when she kept adding and adding supernatural elements that, in my opinion, where not really needed. The more supernatural elements she added the weirder and further away the story got from the plot.

I give it a 3.5/5 rating because I liked the sisters’s messed up characters, and because I really wanted to like the book.(less)

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May 08, 2013 Chelsea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

If you don't get excited about a book about teenage sister serial killers who live in a supernatural-flavored monster-infested town, I don't even know what to say to you. This book was wonderful, everything I ever wanted in a book. I love sister relationships, especially messy, complicated ones, and I love coming of age stories, and I don't think I even need to mention how much I love serial killers. But it's a lot.

Fancy was the best, worst, brattiest. I gritted my teeth so much while reading he...more

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May 04, 2013 notsarahconnor rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who want to read a book entirely different from their usual reading preferences.

(Review orginally posted on my blog)

I’ve wanted to read this book since it was first published in 2011! For whatever reason though, the book never came to Canada, though it was marketed as being released in Canada in January 2011. I checked my local bookstore numerous times and then randomly searched other provinces but for whatever reason Slice of Cherry wasn’t and still has not been released in Canada. So, after years of begging my parents to order it on Amazon (they kept forgetting) I got the...more (Review orginally posted on my blog)

I’ve wanted to read this book since it was first published in 2011! For whatever reason though, the book never came to Canada, though it was marketed as being released in Canada in January 2011. I checked my local bookstore numerous times and then randomly searched other provinces but for whatever reason Slice of Cherry wasn’t and still has not been released in Canada. So, after years of begging my parents to order it on Amazon (they kept forgetting) I got the book and was not disappointed.

Apparently Slice of Cherry is the second book of the “Portero series” (the first being Bleeding Violet), I quote this because after reading Slice of Cherry I feel that you don’t need to read the book in order since both Bleeding Violet and Slice of Cherry focus on different characters.

I was interested in reading this book because of the subject which is very uncommon (though it is found) in YA literature: children of serial killers. There are a few out there, like I Am Not A Serial Killer by John Cleaver, but the topic isn’t very common. The idea of two daughters of an infamous serial killer who begin following in his footsteps was too intriguing to ignore.

What I love about Slice of Cherry is that it always keep the reader guessing, and the protagonists Kit and Fancy are very in-depth characters. Reeves never gives the full story away, she places subtle hints and is great at weaving the plot together full-circle leaving no loose ends. Kit and Fancy, who at first appear disturbed and cold-blooded, have much more emotional depth than could be guessed for serial killers.

While there is romance in this novel (which you readers will come to realize is a constant trend in YA literature that annoys me) the romance didn’t actually bother me. I liked that Fancy and Kit didn’t immediately fall head-over-heels for their significant others, it was gradual. They actually got to know their significant others before making rash decisions about the future.

The novel also has aspects of Fantasy and the Supernatural. I assume that this is better explained in the first book Bleeding Violet which is why I was a bit confused when first reading the book. Kit and Fancy live in Portero, Texas, a town filled with real-life monsters who attack and kill the citizens. A group of people called the Mortmaine watch over the town, protecting the citizens from getting killed and cleaning up the mess when they’re too late. The topic of monsters is mentioned occasionally in the book, a constant threat but it is not as important as the main story with Kit and Fancy finding and killing victims. It is also useful to know that the people of Portero are also able to open doorways in their town, doorways to different dimensions and different times. This topic is also skimmed over, probably discussed in more detail in the first book (but don’t quote me on that!).

Fancy and Kit also possess supernatural abilities (though I won’t tell you what Kit’s is), Fancy has “the sight” which allows her to see things in mirrors, water, or glasses. Often Fancy views “the happy place” which becomes significant later in the story.

The most important theme in this book (no it isn’t about how to kill your enemies) is family and growing up. Kit and Fancy have always had each other, but as they grow up and start exploring the world on their own they realize that while they love each other and while they’ll always be sisters they can’t always be right at the other’s side, a fact one of the sister’s has great trouble realizing.

I’m surprised I’ve heard so little about this book from other Book Blog, Slice of Cherry is fantastic! Reeves is a fantastic author, she weaves such an intricate story and ties it up with no loose ends. Their is never a dull moment in the book, and the depth of Kit and Fancy’s character really took me off guard!

I can’t wait to read Bleeding Violet and any other books Dia Reeves will come out with. She is a fantastic author and it upsets me how little recognition her books have gotten. I will definitely read Slice of Cherry again (probably multiple times) in the future. If you’re looking something new to read, read this book!

(less)

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Mar 15, 2013 Morgan rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was bored one day and the cover of this book looked awesome. I know they say don't judge a book by its cover but I'd never knew it could be a literal situation until this book.
I just read this book and I must say that I was very disappointed. No review does justice to how awful this book really was. And I'm not talking about how creepy and disgusting it was either. I'm actually referring to the horrible writing and zero explaining as to why there's monsters shooting out of the ground, doors,...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Mrs. Featherbottom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Based on a review I read on a blog, I knew going into this book that it was going to have some sci-fi fantasy otherworldliness going on but I was nonetheless not expecting it to be quite so fucking nuts right from the get go. I don't read much in the fantasy genre so my frame of reference may be fairly underdeveloped and naive in regards to what to expect but, I mean, this book just seemed like it had pretty crazy, bloody, torture by teenagers stuff going on from minute one. The whole first chap...more Based on a review I read on a blog, I knew going into this book that it was going to have some sci-fi fantasy otherworldliness going on but I was nonetheless not expecting it to be quite so fucking nuts right from the get go. I don't read much in the fantasy genre so my frame of reference may be fairly underdeveloped and naive in regards to what to expect but, I mean, this book just seemed like it had pretty crazy, bloody, torture by teenagers stuff going on from minute one. The whole first chapter I was like, oh shit, I didn't know you could do this in YA! Thing is, it was also really engaging right away, even for a squeamish kind of person like me. I even went on to read Dia Reeves's other book, Bleeding Violet, afterwards, so I guess I actually liked it a lot.

My favorite aspect was definitely the relationship between the main characters, two sisters. Their dynamic was really authentic to me and captured the sisterly bond, good and bad, effectively... albeit to a way dramatized, heightened emotions degree. Like, for example, as a kid sister, you might resent your sister's first boyfriend for "stealing" her away from you but you don't exactly fantasize about stabbing the guy. Fancy, the narrator, has that mark of a great character where, even when she's 100% out of line (and to be fair, a lot of the time she is) you basically like her anyway and hope she just chills out a bit and figures things out.

The whole lore of the town that the story takes place in and the rules of how all the fantasy stuff works is kind of hard to follow but pretty interesting. And even if you're not really into that kind of stuff, the characters are strong enough to where you'll probably get into the story anyway. It's for sure not boring or forgettable.

Also, speaking from the highly nuanced, knowledgable perspective of someone who has never once watched a single episode of Dexter, I feel like people who like that show would maybe like this book since the premise sounds pretty similar. So, I don't know, if you like Dexter, give this book a whirl.(less)

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Jun 17, 2012 Caly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Caly by: Laura

Shelves: modern, otherworlds, death, characters-of-colour

This book really surprised me with how dark and gory it was, and still managed to be a YA book. This is an intense and twisted romp through the lives of two sisters who are the daughters of a serial killer and are fighting their own urges to kill.

Fancy and Kit grow up in a town where they are outcasts and only have each other to rely on through bigotry, hard work and letters and people who tell them they should be dead.

Their happy life gets disrupted as Kit gets a boyfriend, leaving a codepend...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

Kit and Fancy Cordelle are the daughters of the infamous Bonesaw killer. With their father in prison and mother working long hours, they are left to explore their own instincts and forge their own paths. Circumstances force them from their self-imposed seclusion in what to me was an original but disturbing coming of age story.

I can't think of another book to really compare Slice of Cherry to. I loved the idea of this book and what it tries to achieve more than anything else. It was horror, YA, m...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Katieeoh Lacanlale rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: engrossing, horror, romance, killing, bloody

I just love it. The book is amazing! It’s about the Cordelle sisters; Kit and Fancy. Living their life as normally as it would be, for they are known as the Bonesaw Killer’s daughters, the most bloody murderer I town. Kit and Fancy, are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around town. They love to kill, knives are their accessory and toys, they love to collect body parts, open people’s bodies like they’re giving them a surgery. It’s a hobby, it’s just for fun.

These two girls aren’t the...more

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Jul 06, 2011 Natalie Martinez rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'll start out by saying I rated this book a three because I felt it was well written, but I would never personally own this book. I feel that yet again the author needs to work on how to connect the characters to everyday people. If you like shows like Dexter then you'll probably like this book. Personally, this genre is not just not my cup of tea, I find it boring and mindless for the reader. Please keep this in mind when reading my review. If you read this author's first book, Bleeding Violet...more I'll start out by saying I rated this book a three because I felt it was well written, but I would never personally own this book. I feel that yet again the author needs to work on how to connect the characters to everyday people. If you like shows like Dexter then you'll probably like this book. Personally, this genre is not just not my cup of tea, I find it boring and mindless for the reader. Please keep this in mind when reading my review. If you read this author's first book, Bleeding Violet, then you should know that this is set in the same exact town. We do not follow Hanna's story, though we do get a little cameo from her.

Basically in this town monsters randomly appear. Interesting enough the main monsters that appear in this book (in my opinion) are the two main characters - Kit and Fancy Cordelle. I admit I enjoyed meeting the girls and looked forward to some positive character development. I ended the book feeling cheated. The only way that these girls have grown is in how they have learned to torture people.

First off there is Franken as in short for Frankenstein. How does he get this name? He breaks into their house to steal some belongings so that he can sell them on Craig's list or eBay. You see Kit and Fancy are the daughters to the "Bonesaw Killer". Basically their father killed people in their cellar. Either way the girls catch him, take him down to their cellar and torture him. Now they do patch him back up - so they can repeat the process. Franken of course eventually gets a bad case of Stockholm Syndrome.

Later on their ancestor gives them a talking to about using their "gifts" for good or evil and not hoarding them. So basically they send out mails telling people they'll kill people for them. I kept on waiting for someone to show up and say "Dude can you kill the two daughters of the Bonesaw Killer who are running around killing people? Nope, never happened. There is no justice in this book. Matter of fact the Sherriff bakes them some goodies for doing the town a favor.

Also I felt like a lot of this book was nothing but clichés. Oh you know the kind. This author is so promising as well. Her writing is so beautiful and flows so well that I feel I can read anything she rights. At the same time I just can't connect with her characters. It's very frustrating. Maybe it's just me not being able to get over the hurdle of getting into the mind set of a character I felt came across as more evil than anti-hero. Who knows?

Now many people who reviewed this book found it deliciously wicked. Personally, at the end of the day if I want to try to see a serial killer I feel I would more likely read a true crime book or watch the ID channel or something. Remember - enjoy Dexter- then read it. Don't enjoy Dexter or if you hate the idea of capitol punishment then find something else to read.By the way this book flowed MUCH better than Bleeding Violet. I applaud you Mrs. Reeves you have grown since your first book. (Try writing one shorter book so I can put you on the list for reluctant readers - they refuse on the size of your books alone.)

All in all --- this is a red hot author that everyone should keep their eyes on.(less)

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Jun 05, 2011 Legsoffury rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

I really like Dia's quirkiness and I think she writes well. I think she could write a great butt-kicking, good vs evil novel. Perhaps that has been done too many times to attract the attention of YA (young adults) and so the popular YA books have to include more unique themes; I just don't know.

Unfortunately I don't care for the casual, seemingly meaningless, lifetaking, gore. The moral ambiguity of the protagonists, and every other character in the book, left me unsettled throughout the book.

Ri...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Novel Novice rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A book about the murderous teenage daughters of a convicted serial killer is not the type of stuff you’ll typically find in literature, especially Young Adult literature. Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves is a notable exception. And what makes this disturbing and bizarre book work is that it’s extremely well-written, well plotted and thoughtfully imagined.

Slice of Cherry follows Kit and Fancy Cordelle (aged 17 and 15, respectively), who are the daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer. And while the...more A book about the murderous teenage daughters of a convicted serial killer is not the type of stuff you’ll typically find in literature, especially Young Adult literature. Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves is a notable exception. And what makes this disturbing and bizarre book work is that it’s extremely well-written, well plotted and thoughtfully imagined.

Slice of Cherry follows Kit and Fancy Cordelle (aged 17 and 15, respectively), who are the daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer. And while the girls aren’t exactly like their father, they do have certain murderous tendencies and get the occassional kick out of slicing and dicing their victims. But unlike dear old dad (who’s awaiting a death sentence in prison), the girls know they can’t get caught. So when Fancy opens a magical door to another world, they’ve found the perfect place to stash the evidence — and the bodies. Of course, murder is never that simple — especially in a small town that has an odd sense of appreciation for the girls’ good intentions.

There’s no doubt about it: Slice of Cherry is a twisted, sometimes disturbing book. But it’s also one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Reeves is an extremely gifted writer, and it’s evident in every word and plot twist. Despite the shock value of much of the book’s content, it’s clear that Reeves includes all of these moments for a reason. Each moment is deliberate and purposeful.

As main characters, Kit and Fancy are well-matched with the Turner boys, Gabriel and Ilan. It’s fascinating to watch their interactions and changes throughout the novel, all building to the climax and final pages. The characters are all maladjusted and not quite right — but Slice of Cherry isn’t a journey about these characters becoming normal. Rather, it’s about them each accepting their own (and each others’) strangeness and personality quirks. Which, though told in a strange and twisted way, is actually a very nice, healthy message for teens to learn.

That said, I’m not sure Slice of Cherry is the best material for a general teen audience. There’s a lot of murder and gore and violence, much of it told very casually. But for older teens (and adults), the book offers a fascinating story to get sucked into. Reeves has created a magical world in the fictional east Texas town of Portero — where the people watch out for their own, and monsters burst forth from beneath the pavement, and doors can be found in the most unlikely places. And that’s really what makes Slice of Cherry work so well. Because Kit and Fancy wouldn’t fit in just anywhere; it’s in Portero that they can thrive and be themselves. Even if “being themselves” means committing the occasional, well-intentioned murder.(less)

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Mar 26, 2011 Dot Hutchison rated it 3 of 5 stars

The small town of Portero, Texas is a world of doorways, of monstrous creatures, of strange bits of magic, a town where everyone wears black (with the exception of the green-clad heroes of the Mortmaines) and any outsiders are regarded with deep suspicion. Kit and Fancy Cordelle were born and raised in Portero but they might as well be transies; as the daughters of Portero’s own Bonesaw Killer, most people think they belong right there on death row with their daddy.
Most people might be right.
The...more The small town of Portero, Texas is a world of doorways, of monstrous creatures, of strange bits of magic, a town where everyone wears black (with the exception of the green-clad heroes of the Mortmaines) and any outsiders are regarded with deep suspicion. Kit and Fancy Cordelle were born and raised in Portero but they might as well be transies; as the daughters of Portero’s own Bonesaw Killer, most people think they belong right there on death row with their daddy.
Most people might be right.
The Cordelle sisters have inherited things from both sides of the family, including their father’s sociopathology and extreme violence. As far as they’re concerned, where their daddy went wrong was in getting caught. When they discover a doorway that could help them hide all evidence, the stage is set for a killing spree of epic proportions- if boys and growing up don’t drive them apart first.

Slice of Cherry, by Dia Reeves, is one of those strange books that I really enjoyed reading, but through the entire process and even after the book is done, I can’t figure out if I actually liked it or not. It wasn’t that I actively disliked it, but that I’m unsure if I actively liked it.

There’s a lot to love. The relationship between the Cordelle sisters is beautifully drawn, starting with the sense of oneness that comes of being ostracized and being close with many of the same outlets. As time goes by, though, other things start to intrude and the relationship grows more complicated. The way Fancy clings to that oneness, to her sense of childhood, makes sense, as does older sister Kit’s burgeoning interest in a wider world. Even the violence that characterizes them, and the very different ways they express it, makes a sort of sense.

Portero is a deliciously bizarre world, one that in some ways seems to fit in very neatly with what we might expect of a small Texas town, and in other ways is just completely off the wall. It’s consistent, and after a while, the wacky lulls you into a calm acceptance of the strange town. The dialect is gorgeous and really sets the atmosphere in place. Fancy’s “happy place” and her dream diary are wonderful tools,, both of which add incredibly disturbing layers to the action and the characters.

I didn’t so much love the Turner brothers. I liked- really liked- that they forced Kit and Fancy’s relationship into a state of change. I enjoyed than Ilan is really the only person to see through Fancy’s baby doll dressed and hair ribbons. For the rest, though, from the inevitable sense of double dating to the fact that they’re the sons of the Bonesaw Killers last victim, it felt very contrived. they have the patent sense of the bizarre that everyone in Portero has, as well as a sense of violence that meshes well with the Cordelle sisters, but even that feels a little forced, or perhaps the natural aspects were just pushed too far.

This book is definitely not for the squeamish or faint of heart. I’m not someone who watches horror films or slasher flicks, which could account for a lot of my mixed feelings for this book, but there’s violence and gore enough for anyone’s macabre side. The sisters develop a rather sick inventiveness in their grisly escapades. While many of these episodes display a certain sense of the appropriate (or at least a twisted kind of justice), some moments were enough to make me shudder and close the book for a while, which is very unusual for me. (My mother used to regale us with surgeries over the dinner table- spaghetti nights were the worst; you figure if you can get through that, you can get through anything).

Even after writing this review, I still can’t decide if I like it or not. But you know? That’s okay. Ambivalence lends its own kind of afterthought, and this is definitely a book that will stick around in my head for a while. For fans of Portero, there’s an earlier book called Bleeding Violet; we briefly meet that main character here but if you haven’t read that first, no worries. Slice of Cherry stands well on its own, rendering that brief moment into an Aha! for those in the know, but it’s not an obstacle for those meeting Portero for the first time.

If you have a strong stomach and a somewhat macabre sense of humor, definitely check this one out. If you still cry when the hunters shoot Bambi’s mother, you might want to look elsewhere.

Until next time~
Cheers!

(less)

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Jan 26, 2011 Rina rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was very, very disturbing. Lucky for me, I tend to favor books that step outside of the norm and really push the boundaries. This was like nothing I've ever read! I have seen some reviews online saying that to truly understand and 'get used to' the world of Portero, Bleeding Violet should be read first. To be honest, I jumped headfirst into the surreal town and picked up on the concept instantly. Maybe it is because I'm used to reading fantasy, but I didn't feel reading the first book...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Morgan Silva rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not gonna lie, this book was beyond odd. It is the most twisted book I've ever read! Somewhere between sibling rivalry, strong family bonds, bad pasts, and gruesome murder, this book falls into its very own genre.

Basically a man becomes a murderer for God knows what reason. After being caught, he leaves behind his two daughters, Fancy and Kit. Of course these two girls are going to get talked sh*t to since they're "The Bonesaw Killers" daughters.

First it starts out with ooohhhh Kit has a hunge...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow! What can I say about this book? Well, let me start off by saying that when I first heard of this author and her first book, Bleeding Violet, which I still have to read, I heard that her books were a bit "weird", "different", "scary" for lack of a better word...and I was excited!

I love to read true crime books because I am always curious by what makes people tick and why people do what they do and although a lot of those books don't give me the answer exactly, they still give me a look into...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Doret rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved Reeves YA debut Bleeding Violet. It was original, strange and beautiful. Slice of Cherry has the same qualities, the only other thing they have in common is the setting of Portero, TX.

Kit and Fancy are sisters who do everything together. They've become even closer after their father is a convicted serial killer, known as the Bonesaw Killer. The sisters hate can't be bothered people. Kit the oldest, loves stabbing them . Fancy has a taste for violence as well. At a Juneteeth celebration,...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Mae rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, gothic, favorites, psychological-drama, romantic, romance, sweet, teen-angst, science-fiction

I was browsing my school library looking for The Bell Jar when this book with a thick white spine caught my eyes amongst the thinner and colorful books. Judging by the hardcover, I assumed that it's - how should I describe it? Fresh, contemporary, twisted, and delicious just like how the cover art suggests. Mind you, I looked at the back first, then inspected the inside flaps for the plot summary, before I looked at the front cover - that drip of juice looked like blood!

My oh my, I was fascinate...more I was browsing my school library looking for The Bell Jar when this book with a thick white spine caught my eyes amongst the thinner and colorful books. Judging by the hardcover, I assumed that it's - how should I describe it? Fresh, contemporary, twisted, and delicious just like how the cover art suggests. Mind you, I looked at the back first, then inspected the inside flaps for the plot summary, before I looked at the front cover - that drip of juice looked like blood!

My oh my, I was fascinated - a story about serial killer sisters? Dia Reeves or Sylvia Plath? From experience I learnt to read the books that catch my eyes, because they always turn out to be the books I never regret reading... but love. So I chose Slice of Cherry. Started yesterday, and just finished it today... past midnight. This book has it all (as far as I know, I'm a teenager so spare me the details) - character development, relationships, family, community, inner dark secrets, weaknesses, insecurites, etc. There's picaresque adventures going on, but a plot that picks up as I read further on. I'm thoroughly happy, too. I can't list all the particulars that struck me, but I can say that the pop-culture references amused me. This book mixes the weird and wondrous - the supernatural was present from the start, which I enjoyed. Like, this book vaguely reminded me of Charles Ogden's Edgar and Ellen series with... more.

(view spoiler)

Conclusion? It's a book I'd definitely recommend of my friend who loves Emily The Strange as it also has gothic elements to it. Modern gothic, I mean. But here's a warning: the sexual content can get explicit... like WOAH! Hold your horses (if you read the book, you'd know what I'm referring too: cowgirls and carousels). But yeah, definitely a book I enjoy. Sure it looks like it belongs to the Harry Potter Boxed Set, but this amazing story is fast-paced and a guaranteed page turner.(less)

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Feb 11, 2012 Jasmine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: american

ready... set... die awkwardly.

so when I was 15 in spanish class we had to write a story about a super hero. I wrote a story about a girl who had no friend except for her dog and her super power was depressing people into killing themselves (really and no one thought this was a cry for help?). This book is kind of like that. it's written in a voice that sounds like a child but a demented child. I have a friend whose daughter when I met her explained to me how to make a clown pizza, this requires...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, alternate-world, fantasy, fiction, ghosts, horror, relationships, ya, love-story

Dia Reeves' writing style is as engrossing as ever and combined with the story's quick pacing, I devoured this book. The world of Portero - and its inhabitants - is so rich, vibrant, and macabre that I almost - almost - want to visit it. This story, however, featured little of Portero and its inhabitants outside of the two Cordelle sisters, neither of whom is especially likable or intriguing. The lack of likability for either of these characters made it difficult for me to empathize/sympathize w...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Alexis rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Horror Fans,

Shelves: disturbing-plot, magic, gothic, romance, gory

At first I didn't know how much I liked this book. When I finished it I decided that it was worth 4 stars. I was originally going to give it 3 half way through the book. The plot line is very unique, unlike anythying else I've ever read which contributed to the rating I gave the book. The book ties up loose ends really well. I still find myself some what dissapointed. I'm not sure why I feel this way either. Maybe because the action in this book didn't seem quiet actiony enough. The book was qui...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Larissa Hinton rated it 3 of 5 stars

I just finished this book and I have to say, I'm not sure what to think about it. Like many other reviewers said, you won't be able to get into this book unless you've read Bleeding Violet which explains the town and what all of the creatures are like.

The Happy Place did some more explanation too. Even though it was partially explained and described, I could have used more description then what the author gave. I would have loved to see more of the viciousness of the sisters but I didn't get en...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Doreen rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Melanie, Brianna, Miss Murphy!

Recommended to Doreen by: read her first book recently

Shelves: ya

Another book that I love from Dia Reeves. I hope her third book continues with the citizens of Portero, TX. Having been to Texas several times, I still don't understand how the people of Portero walk around wearing black clothing in that horrible heat. I guess sweating to death is a small price to pay in order to not stand out in colorful clothing and become the victim of attacks!

This book is filled with bloody killings, sibling relationships, shame and revenge/justice. I love how the book begin...more

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