So Shelly by Ty Roth



Beautiful Cover Art-Made me swoon.



As I was investigating the February list for the Debut Author Challenge, the cover for this title struck me first.  I loved the dark romance of it. I was then further intrigued by the author because he was a English high school teacher and college professor.  I figured that was why his main characters were named after romantic authors of the 16th century: Shelly, Keats and Byron...little did I know.

    The story was very scandalous and I couldn't believe that this was considered a YA title.  Really! It was a lil' on Jerry Springer side.  There was some bbisexuality, incest, molestation, terrorism, underage sex and prostitution.  And, yes, all three main characters were writers.

    It seems that lately all the books that I have been reading have not had a linear storyline.  They all go back in forth, or start in the present and then start go back, or just go back in forth throughout the book as in the case of So Shelly.

     The story is narrated by the Keats, whose life mirrors in many small details the life of John Keats, the romantic poet.  He is telling the story as it was mostly told to him. What he actually saw happen was minimal...so it wouldn't hold up in court.

    This is a modern version of the lives of the romantic poets.  It's their stories, modernized for for today, which seems to be a trend with YA authors.  There's texting, emailing, blogging and DVD's and no birth control. 

     Roth conveniently has his writers all attend the same HS.  Shelly dies and leaves instructions for the other two in case of her death.  When Shelly was alive, both Byron and Keats were friends of hers, but not friends with each other  In death, she made them work together and the reminiscing begins.

     I know I have complained about storytellers not being linear in the narrating, but I didn't mind it so much here.  I think Roth did very well.  I like that his narrator explained that he was gifted, because honestly, on of my pet peeves is when adult authors forget that they are telling the story from the point of view of a teen.

     I got a history lesson with a great story.  Bryon's fictionalized character lives up to his the real Lord, club foot and all.  I would recommend this dark and brooding story, there was a short period of about 5 pages where I lost interest, but it was a fast read because there was always something hot happening. 

    Read it!