Review: Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson

Scribbler of Dreams
by Mary E. Pearson
Published: October 2002
Publisher: Harcourt Paperbacks
Available: Amazon

Synopsis:

Romeo and Juliet had the right idea. About dating the enemy that is. They were true to their hearts.

Kaitlin Malone know what it's like to date the enemy. She was raised to hate the Crutchfields, and absolutely does - until she meets Bram Crutchfield. It turns out he's a great guy - one she could talk to, share things with...even love. But when Kaitlin gives her heart to Bram, her world spins out of control. Soon the Crutchfields are her friends and she's a traitor to her own family.

To make things worse ,Bram was raised to hate the Malones,especially Kaitlin's father - who murdered Bram's dad. Bram doesn't know Kaitlin is a Malone. If he did he would hate her, too.

What's a star-crossed lover to do?

Review:
This was a filler pick for me when I needed to buy something for a few bucks to make my free shipping on Amazon. I thought it sounded like a sweet romance and would be a nice change from the other books I've been reading lately. It wasn't until I wrote the author's name in this blog post that I realized why it sounded familiar. Mary E. Pearson also wrote The Adoration of Jenna Fox, one of the first YA books I read and reviewed for my blog.

Scribbler of Dreams is not a futuristic or sci-fi story along the veins of Adoration, instead it is much more grounded in the realities of a typical romance novel. Not that that is a bad thing. It was exactly what I was looking for and Pearson delivered nicely. Girl meets boy, falls in love, but they are torn apart by deception, in this case the deception is due to their warring families, a la Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. As a Shakespeare lover I can't say I hate the story, and Pearson resists following too closely.

The only part that bothered me was the insta-love (and yes, I know this does follow R&J), but I found in today's world it just wasn't as believable. Kaitlin feel for Bram before even speaking to him, and within a few pages she was in love and willing to defy her family for a boy who believes she is someone else. Someone who's father hadn't killed his own. **Not a spoiler, as it's clearly on the back cover** I understood her deception initially, but the further along it went the more frustrating it became. Luckily it's a quick read at only 223 pages in pocketbook size, so I didn't have time to get really annoyed.

If you're looking for a sweet romance with some tear jerking scenes this is a quick and easy read.