Review: Every Word by Ellie Marney

Every Word by Ellie Marney 
Series: Every #2
Published: September 8th, 2015
Publisher: Tundra Books
352 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Thriller/Romance
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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{Read my review of Every Breath}

James Mycroft has just left for London to investigate a car accident similar to the one that killed his parents seven years ago...without saying goodbye to Rachel Watts, his 'partner in crime'.

Rachel is furious and worried about his strange behaviour - not that Mycroft's ever exactly normal, but London is the scene of so many of his nightmares. So Rachel jumps on a plane to follow him...and lands straight in a whole storm of trouble.

The theft of a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, the possible murder of a rare books conservator, and the deaths of Mycroft's parents...Can Watts help Mycroft make sense of the three events - or will she lose him forever?

 

Anyone who knows me well knows I love anything even remotely Sherlockian, so when I discovered the Every series, I was incredibly excited. I loved Every Breath, and couldn’t wait to get my hands on Every Word, although I’ll admit I was nervous…I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the first book or that it would lose that spark that made the first one so special. Having now devoured Every Word, I can say I think I might love it even more than the first book, and that’s saying a lot!

Every Word picks up several months after the events of Every Breath. Rachel is still on house arrest, and her time with Mycroft is limited, but their relationship is going strong…until he takes off suddenly for London to help investigate an accident similar to the one that killed his parents and left him with unspeakable emotional scars. Knowing what Mycroft is like, Rachel is sure he’ll need help - specifically her help - so she goes after him.

What ensues…London! Sexytimes! Excitement! Intrigue! Horrifying, gruesome events that will possibly leave you traumatized and having nightmares!

Seriously, this book has everything. And it was so much more than I expected in a lot of ways - a lot sexier, a lot more disturbing, a lot more twisted, a lot more exciting. It was incredibly mature and yet maintained its YA feel. Mycroft absolutely broke my heart. He was so damaged, and there were things he said and did that made me want to just break down and sob. He and Rachel are both such vivid, real characters, I feel almost like I’m Rachel and I’m right there with Mycroft as he says these things that alternately break your heart, piss you off, and make you swoon.

Marney does an incredible job of making you feel like you’re part of the story - you can see everything unfold with perfect clarity. Having just been to London for the first time in June, it was thrilling to recognize places mentioned in the book (especially 221B Baker Street, which I recognized the moment they emerged from the tube station and mentioned the Pizza Express across the street!), and it was one of many, many elements that made me feel connected to the story. I’d be reading and when I had to go back to real life, it was almost jarring because I was so sucked into the story. These books would make a terrific TV show or movie.

I can’t recommend Every Breath and Every Word highly enough. I’ve read a lot of Sherlock-esque books, and I think these books - Every Word in particular - are my new favourites. With tons of action, a romance that will leave you breathless, and a mystery that keeps you guessing (and raises even more questions by the end), Every Word is a must read.

“This boy who makes my heart lose rhythm, whose hands have touched my skin, whose mind is bright as diamond. This boy who cannot let go, whose past is buried in the ground, in another country...” ~ 10%

“I have seen the aftermath of death, the incredible mechanism of the body laid bare, and I know now that each person is a kind of miracle. A spark nestles like a bird inside our chests, so deep that we can’t find where it lives, but it is everything. It’s what makes us dream and think and feel and laugh and sing. And it is a mystery, and it is mundane, and, above all, it is fragile. Any moment could be our last.” ~ 41%

“Nothing on earth could’ve kept me away.” ~ 66%

*All quotes taken from the ARC version of Every Word by Ellie Marney

Have you read Every Word? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you like books about Sherlockian characters? Let's talk here or on Twitter!

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