What Beauty There Is, (Hardcover)

What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson is an action packed, heart wrenching thriller with an ending that will leave you speechless. Obsessed with the entire aesthetic of this book. 5/5 stars Jack Dahl comes home to find his mother missing. His father was imprisoned 7 years ago for robbing a pawn shop, and since then his mother has checked out leaving him and his much younger brother Matty to fend for themselves. Jack and Matty were such a cute duo of siblings. Its very rare for a female to write from a male (even third person) perspective, and I found myself really enjoying that. Ava was such a gem, and such a fantastic character I loved her. Even our villains in this book are very memorable! What I loved about this book: Cory Anderson was not afraid to throw everything and the kitchen sink at her characters. She wasnt afraid to put them through it. Its very rare that you get authors who put the same character through the worst things you can imagine, and dont let up. I found myself appreciating her willingness to really come at them with everything. The plot felt a little bit everywhere, but it actually flowed really well. There was a lot going on that we flip between different characters, which occasionally pulled us form the original plot, but overall I feel like those were necessary to really set the scene. I think this is perfect for fans of Beautiful Creatures, House of Hollow, What Big Teeth, and it may just be because I read it right beforehand, but a more contemporary ya version of We Begin at the End (less extreme)

The cover of What Beauty There Is is beautiful and intricate, like a work of art. The story is set in the depths of winter in rural Idaho. The main characters are Jack and Matty Dahl, whose father is in jail for a convenience store robbery, and whose drug-addicted mother has just committed suicide. They have no resources, no home and are fighting for survival. Jack is desperately trying to find the money from the robbery that his father hid years ago. The adults in the life of these boys have so far, failed them. Jack does not seek out help from authorities because he is worried his little brother Matty will be taken from him. They are helped by Ava Bardem, the daughter of Victor, a ruthless and violent criminal, who was involved in the same crime as Jack's father. Ava has been isolated by her father and has no one else. Victor is also after the hidden money. The writing is beautiful, raw, detailed and lyrical. The bitterly cold winter is so well-described, like a beautiful but dangerous character, a constant threat to Jack, Matty and Ava. The plot is perfectly paced, haunting and heart-wrenching. with skillfully built tension. The characters have depth and the reader can feel their struggle and emotions. This dark story will stay with you. I really look forward to reading the sequel.