Review "Creatura" by Nely Cab + Interview with the author!

Creatura by Nely Cab

2nd Edition Publication: August 6th, 2013

Word Count: approx. 82,000

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Recommended Age:  13+

Isis can control her dreams. Or she could—until recently. The creature in her nightmares has been haunting her for months. As if being dumped wasn’t bad enough, now she dreads going to sleep. She decides to confront the creature and win back some of her peace; only, she finds that he’s not a monster and he’s not a dream. 
A sacrifice for love, a shocking discovery and a jealous ex-boyfriend blur the lines between reality and dreams, making it hard to tell who the real monsters are. 
Who would’ve known…that sometimes love is lethal?

My rating: 

I really really enjoyed this book! 

First starting the book I thougt it would be a cute little story, boy meets girl and they fall in love and of course with the supernatural twist to it. 

That was not what I got with this book - It was so much more! 

The description doesn't tell much about what the book is about, to which I'm glad. I love surprises like this. 

After you really get into the book it's almost impossible to put it down, you just have to know what will happen next. The characters were all so well written and I love the mother daughter relationship between Isis and her mother, Claire. 

Then there's David. Oh my.. just the way he says things.. it's gonna make you swoon, “I crave your lips.” His breath was sweet. “Give me but one taste and I shall ask no more.” Why can't everybody talk like that, huh? I love those parts with David speaking and also Isis when writing in her journal - beautiful. 

You really feel like you're part of the book because everything is so well described which only brings you more into the book, you feel as if you're part of the story and everything that is going on. Like at the start of the book, I was very happy when Isis tells us about the town she lives in, how many people there are, how it is to live there and how the weather is - really helpful, since I myself can't really experience that, but instead I get this good describtion to help me imagine just how it is to live there. When Isis is all drained from lack of sleep I almost felt tired for her. You really find yourself living this book. 

And then the end.. Can't escape the cliffhangers that leaves us wanting more. Now all I have to do is wait for the sequel to know what will happen next. 

This book is a must read for anyone who loves, forbidden love, mythology, romance and great writing! I mean, really fantastic writing, can't get over that! 

About the author: 

Nely Cab was born on December 9, 1974, in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. She has lived and resided in South Texas most of her life. In 2001, the author relocated to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, where she dedicated time to the study of culinary arts and the art of oil painting.

After her return to the U.S., she resumed her employment in banking and in the following year transitioned to the field of Social Work. Later, Nely took up writing as a hobby and produced her first novel entitled "Creatura".

The rights to "Creatura" were sold to a leading Young Adult publisher in a foreign country in May 2012 and was published in June 2013.

Today, Nely Cab writes from the comfort of her home in South Texas, where she lives with her husband and son. Her life goal is to check-off Bucket List Item No. 95,623,351: To Conquer the World. While she aspires world domination, Nely continues to work on her debut series Creatura.

Website

And now for the interview! Check it out below. 


*Me
* Nely

Welcome to Booksane and thank you so much for doing this interview :) 

First off, what made you get into writing? 

When I was ten, I started reading books that really appealed to me. I thought I wanted to be a writer then, and I tried my hand at a story. I was so young and naïve that I mailed off to a book publisher. Of course, the manuscript was returned; I felt crushed. I knew someday, though, I’d write a story and I’d publish it one way or another.

Later, when I was thirty-something and I had quit my job to dedicate more time to my family, I took up reading again. I felt the longing to write my own stories again. I had the time then, and I decided to give it a shot by writing short stories.

What books have influenced your life the most?

That’s a hard one, because a lot of books influence me. Author’s writing styles teach me a lot and even though I have my own writing style, you never stop learning from the greats.

I’ll give you some off the top of my head: The one that has influenced me the most is not a book, it’s Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare—he’s a genius. Some others are Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Series because of the simplicity, Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices because of the almost poetic nature of her writing, and Judy Blume’s books, because they were the first that I read at age ten that impacted me enough to write my own story.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Shakespeare. He has no equal.

Do you relate to your characters in Creatura, if so in which way? 

I can relate to Isis because a lot of the gestures and details that David does in the book are what boys did for me when I was her age. I had very romantic admirers.

I can also relate to Claire and Nyx because I’m a mother now and I know what it’s like to only want the best for your children.

What did you find the most challenging with writing Creatura? 

The most challenging part about writing Creatura was cutting out scenes in the edits. As a writer, it’s really hard to let go of pages and pages of writing that you know are too much, but just can’t seem to let go. In the end, the story flowed a lot better without those scenes, so it was worth it to let them go.

Do you have any upcoming books or projects that you're working on? 

I am working on book 2 of the Creatura series at the moment. I hope to finish soon, but have no set release date.

What three books would you recommend everybody to read? 

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

What are you reading right now? Anything good? 

Hell’s Phoenix by Gracen Miller and City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Both are awesome reads! 

Thank you so much for the interview! 

To finish it all, here's an excerpt from Creatura: 

Excerpt from Creatura by Nely Cab:

In my dreams, he watches me. Haunts me. He’s the cause of my nightmares, and the dread of my nights.

My name is Isis Martin, and I’m seventeen years old. I suffer from a sleeping disorder. After three months, I’m finding it difficult to function on one or two hours of sleep per night.

Today I’ve got another session with Dr. Jameson. He’s my best friend’s dad and the only psychiatrist in town. He suggested I start a journal to release my stress and maybe one day I’d be able to sleep again. He says my recurring dream is only a reflection of my anxiety to sleep, but there’s something that tells me he’s wrong.

***

I had always been able to control my dreams. I don’t know how, but I could. In my sleep I discovered worlds that only existed in my imagination. My favorite was a poppy field where the sun rested over the horizon frozen in time for no one else but me. The meadow with the odd shaped tree that I had named Infinity was my private haven and my emotional sanctuary. In that far away land, night never came and day never broke. It was the place where tears did not fall and worries did not exist…until the nightmares began.

***

“You’re proposing a wager?”
I nodded.
“If I win, you’ll leave my dreams forever,” I said.
He gazed at me for a moment. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I thought I saw trace of a grin on his face.
“If I should win, you will believe I am not a dream,” David said.
“If you say so,” I snickered. “I guess this is goodbye since I’ll be winning.”
“And…” he said
“There’s more?”
“And…you will never again come here.”
“Okay,” I said. “Fair enough.”
“And…” he said again.
“That’s too many ‘ands’.”
“And…” he continued, “I bid you not farewell, but good morrow.”
David tipped his head as he disappeared, leaving behind a cloud of golden dust.

Thank you to the author and Juniper Grove Book Solutions for everything!