Turning Book 1: What Curiosity Kills: Amazon.ca: Helen Ellis: Books

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Publication Date: May 1 2010 | Series: Turning

"What Curiosity Kills...cracks open the world of Upper East Side prep-schoolers and literally turns it wild, bringing together the best parts of Gossip Girl, Twilight, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer... funny, fierce, and full of surprises."
-Hannah Tinti, ALA Alex Award-winning auth or of The Good Thief

Nobody can know your secret.
Nobody can know your power.
But if nobody knows who you are to begin with...what's stopping you?

I whisper, "What's so special about me all of a sudden?"

Nick says, "The Turning."

Mary feels different, but can't explain why. The fainting, the strange cravings...and worse, the things she's noticed about her body.

Mary doesn't know where to turn. If she tells her parents or her sister, she'll risk losing everything. She has no other family, no way of knowing if what she's going through is normal. Everyone she's ever known and loved could reject her...

"Helen Ellis is the kind of writer that makes the pages fly and the kind of friend readers will wish they had growing up."
-Hannah Tinti, ALA Alex Award-winning auth or of The Good Thief

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } "What Curiosity Kills...cracks open the world of Upper East Side prep-schoolers and literally turns it wild, bringing together the best parts of Gossip Girl, Twilight, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer... funny, fierce, and full of surprises."
-Hannah Tinti, ALA Alex Award-winning auth or of The Good Thief

Nobody can know your secret.
Nobody can know your power.
But if nobody knows who you are to begin with...what's stopping you?

I whisper, "What's so special about me all of a sudden?"

Nick says, "The Turning."

Mary feels different, but can't explain why. The fainting, the strange cravings...and worse, the things she's noticed about her body.

"Helen Ellis is the kind of writer that makes the pages fly and the kind of friend readers will wish they had growing up."
-Hannah Tinti, ALA Alex Award-winning auth or of The Good Thief

Product Details

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (May 1 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402238614
ISBN-13: 978-1402238611
Product Dimensions: 2.2 x 13.7 x 20.9 cm
Shipping Weight: 386 g

Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,734,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

"There is an undercurrent of chaste eroticism that Twilight series' fans will recognize... The blend of contemporary realism and fantasy, romance, humor, and adrenaline-charged action is sure to hook an eager teen audience." (Booklist 20100515)

About the Author

HELEN ELLIS is the author of Eating the Cheshire Cat, a Southern Gothic about three teenage girls and the Alabama Society that twisted them. The novel was picked for B&N Discover Great New Writers, ABA Booksense 76, and the Los Angeles Times and Southern Critics Circle Best Book of the Year. The book is currently being optioned for film by director Amy Redford.

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too Jan 27 2011

By TeensReadToo

Format:Hardcover

CURIOSITY KILLS, the first book in THE TURNING series, is an island in a sea of paranormal books. One that pulls you in from the beginning and holds tight throughout the story.

Mary is sixteen years old and not totally human, as you can probably figure out from the title. Mary is shifting into a cat.

First the purring starts, and later she sprouts orange fur on her legs. There are those who understand what she is going through, but who should she trust? The main person that Mary relies on is Nick, a hunky classmate who is more than he seems. Then there are others she meets in her neighborhood, as well as her adopted sister.

Changing into a cat is actually the least of her worries as she strives to navigate this new world that is as weird as it is exciting.

My daughter and I both read this one and we enjoyed it very much. We are definitely looking forward to the next in this series. I rate this book 4 Stars, mainly because it raises as many questions as it answers. Also, I truly wish that the book had been longer so that we could have had more time to get to know all of the characters.

Realistic characterization, an intriguing storyline, and dialogue that could be found in any group of teens, this book is definitely one to add to your shelves.

Reviewed by: Breia "The Brain" Brickey

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3.0 out of 5 stars story on a page: What Curiosity Kills review Oct 6 2010

By ninefly

Format:Hardcover

see detailed review at my book blog (linked in profile)

With a surreal and overly passive narrator, this rather short beginning to The Turning series is saved by the monumentally more interesting, and diverse, side characters, as well as the pleasantly unexpected developments in its second half. The uniqueness of some of the characters makes up for the lack of character development, and the "weird" writing style can grow on you, but only in this limited 200-page dose. Not really worth the hardcover price, but do give it a chance, it's a nice surreal detour, and it's not that long.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 3.6 out of 5 stars 21 reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique Story May 18 2010

By LAS Reviewer - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover

[...]

Being a teenager is hard enough...add in a mysterious shape-shifting ability and what do you get? This awesome book of course!

I totally enjoyed this one. I love shapeshifters so this book was a winner for me. The author managed to catch the "real" and diverse attitudes of teenagers. Ms. Ellis covered everyone from nerds to jocks in a believable fashion, which I really liked.

The main character Marcy was created well; she was one of those teenaged girls that could remind you of yourself or your best friend. The storyline was great, so different and interesting! Shapeshifting is a popular topic for paranormal fiction but I think the author managed to change it up and create something different.

The only two small issues I had were: I think some of the scenes could have been played out more and...the book was way too short! (I say that in a good way...) That's okay though, because this is the first in the series and that means more to come!

Overall, I thought it was a fun read. The characters were realistic and the story was unique. I certainly look forward to reading more in this series by Helen Ellis.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A First Line Feline Mystery May 20 2010

By W. Bentrim - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Hardcover

The Turning by Helen Ellis

This is one of the more thoughtful middle school books I've read. I'm not really sure if it is more for younger high school or not. I think it can and will appeal to both audiences. Mary discovers a secret about her own life that she never dreamed of facing. Mary's relationships with her family and friends undergo some major revamping with what she learns.

Ms. Ellis deals with the insecurities that kids have in a tasteful and insightful manner. As an ex-guidance counselor for this age, I felt she captured their feelings very accurately. Fish or fowl is often the question with teenagers or in this case feline or not. The mystery was prolonged to the end. There was sufficient tension and moderate action to hold your interest. The life and death aspects were portrayed somewhat graphically but I don't think at a level of intensity to frighten the younger reader. The book was well done and it appears that it will be a captivating series.

I recommend the book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but ends just when its getting good... Jun 28 2010

By Kindle-aholic - Published on Amazon.com

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'd give it closer to 2-1/2 stars.

The concept was interesting, but just about everything needed to be developed more. With the exception of Octavia (and she's not the main character), most of the characters were just thin caricatures of teen stereotypes. The characters were believable, but seemed to embody the more annoying of "typical teen traits".

That said, it was an easy read, and it flowed well enough, and flowed into an ending that felt like it should have been around the midpoint of the book, not the end. More than a bit of a letdown in that sense. Just as I was really starting to get into it, it was over.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 21 reviews 3.6 out of 5 stars

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