Review: Nameless by Lili St. Crow (Tale of Beauty and Madness #1)

Nameless (Tale of Beauty and Madness #1)
Lili St. Crow
Published: April 4, 2013 (Razorbill)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon

Reviewed by: Krista

Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars

Lili St. Crow’s dark style lends itself perfectly to this reinterpretation of Snow White. I was drawn into Nameless from the first page and glued until the last.

The story begins with our Snow being found during a snowstorm in the middle of the road. She is only six years old, covered with scars, and has no memory of where she came from or who she is. She is taken in by her rescuer; who happens to be the living head of one of the seven mafia-like vampire families. She is give the name Camille (which is the name of her adopted father’s dead wife) and raised along the family heir.

Camille deals with a lot of the same issues adopted children deal with: feeling as if she doesn’t belong, questioning where she comes from, and her own place in the world around them. These issues are only exacerbated by her severe stuttering, recurring nightmares, and her adopted father’s transition from the living family head to an undead elder. Camille feels adrift in a world that she feels she doesn’t truly belong to.

Throughout Camille’s journey is the underlying fear that it could all be taken away in a moment. She is a human princess in a vampire family, a human who could be killed accidentally by one of her own family members. To make matters worse children are being kidnapped off the streets without a trace. She also knows that her family and friends are hiding something from her.

Most of Camille’s dialogue is internal, because of her stutter, which immerses the reader deeper into Camille’s state of mind. The action and storyline is at once fantastical and bound with elements based in reality. There is always some emotion or situation that the reader can relate or empathize with. The exception being the somewhat incestuous relationship between Camille and her brother (not biological) Nico.

I really enjoyed this book, especially since I was hesitant to give it a try. St. Crow’s dark and twisted style created a unique world for Nameless that will stand out among its contemporaries. I will be picking up the sequels, if just to find out what happens to Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella.

Sexual content: Kissing