|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||
|
|
Reviewed by Craig Johnson Alex returns to her hometown to recover from a devastating ballet injury. With her body on the mend, Alex must confront another trauma – the heart she broke long ago when she left to pursue her dreams. Said heart she broke belongs to Scott, and in all honesty she would be better off without him! I know that goes against the rules of these sorts of Romances, but he acts like a complete arse: she is offered a chance to fulfill her life-long dream, accepted into the Sydney Ballet Academy, she’s massively talented, she could be a huge star, yet all he can think about is Sydney is a long, long way away and he’s not prepared to travel that distance to see her. Worse, he is not prepared to give up everything and move to Sydney with her, yet he expects her to give up everything and stay at home with him! Good on Alex, she follows her dream yet can’t stop loving Scott and carries such a flame for him she can't form a relationship with another man. A terrible accident sees her back home, where, three years on, Scott is still in a rebound relationship with someone the direct opposite of Alex – dark haired where Alex is blonde, practical where Alex is fanciful. Alex gradually gets better in body, but not in mind, still pining over Scott like a puppy. For his part, Scott has learned nothing – he still feels aggrieved that she chose her dreams over him (whilst still not acknowledging that he’s guilty of doing exactly the same thing). The ending is totally predictable and very, very frustrating – it feels like it comes right out of 1956, not 2006 – Scott is almost a total scumbag, he virtually forces himself upon Alex, using her feelings to assuage his own feelings of guilt, proving to himself that he doesn’t need to compromise one bit – in common parlance, give her a good seeing to and she’ll come running back like a good girl. Frustrating. Artwise, the book is excellent, very well out together, excellent clarity, a good piece of manga. Finally, the book is rated 16+ but there’s no nudity of note and no profanity or violence, a sensible 13+ would be more appropriate in my view. Comment on this review of Harlequin Violet: Holding on to Alex on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
|
||||
 |
| home | reviews | news | features | about us | advertise | privacy policy | contact us |
