My take on: Vexation

I have to admit until recently I had never heard of the word 'vexation.' According to the dictionary it means the state of being annoyed or frustrated. In all honesty that's how I felt reading this. I wanted to like Vexation by Elicia Clegg, but I just couldn't. I read more than half of it before I had to stop. I went beyond my normal 50-60 pages because I thought this one had potential.

Vexation takes us into the mind of 16-year-old Devin Sinclair. After a stint in a mental institution, Devin is returning to her family and friends. But she is returning to them as a different person. Prior to being in the hospital, Devin was kidnapped and under the mind control of the "Grandfather." All of this sounded very intriguing to me. We are literally in Devin's mind as she fights to fit in again. Devin struggles to maintain relationships with people she thought were her friends. After months her friends have changed, and so has Devin. A cruel prank leads Devin to withdraw from her former "friends" and even her family. The only solution she can think of is to runaway. If Devin is no longer with her family, she can't cause them any harm, especially her baby sister Jessica.

Devin forms a new life and makes new friends in Utah. It's around here where the book lost me. After awhile I couldn't take the constant change in perspectives. I don't mind books being told from several points of view, but it is hard to follow when it is within the same chapter. Several times the chapter changes voice from Devin, to her friends and others. One point the characters are awake and carrying on conversations, then it shifts to their dreams. We go back and forth with time. The constant time shifts and the shifts in voice just turned me off. Plus the copy I received had spelling mistakes in it, but it's possible I got an uncorrected proof. Perhaps in time I will go back and find out what happens to Devin, but right now I have to walk away.

Rating: Meh

Notes: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.