Sunday, August 11, 2013

Exposure: A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare's Macbeth by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes

Double, double, toil and trouble. Sometimes, the quest for high school royalty can be deadly! In this emotionally-charged twist on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a self-conscious shutterbug named Skye Kingston navigates a treacherous school year in Alaska fraught with unspoken secrets and tragic twists of fate. Along the way she encounters three strangely prophetic BFFs; one social-climbing, sociopathic cheerleader; and a heart-stopping hottie named Craig McKenzie: the man who would be Prom King. Can Skye save the boy she loves — and herself — before they get caught in the crosshairs? (from Goodreads)

Flo's Review
This is a cute, quick read. The thing that stood out for me was that even though it is based on Macbeth, it still stands -- and works well -- as a story all its own. This is important, because if, like me, you have forgotten the majority of what happens in Macbeth, then you can still enjoy this as its own story.

At the same time, it translates different characters and scenes from the Bard's play into modern-day high school very well. My favorite were the witches, who in this story are three friends of Skye's who are always laughing. Askew and Helmes are able to get them to share prophecy in a way that doesn't seem forced. I think it would be really neat to read this book when I was in high school, shortly after reading Macbeth for the first time. 

Exposure is the second book in the Twisted Lit series. The first book, Tempestuous, is based off of The Tempest. The third one will come out in January 2014 titled Anyone But You.  I'm curious to see which Shakespeare play it is. 

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