Evangeline spends every summer with her grandmother, Louise,
because her single mother doesn’t want her around. Louise lives in a stone
house in a tiny town, hanging out with her Tarot reading friend and making
scents. While Louise loves Evangeline and teaches her many things, she never
lets her into her workroom. That area is closed to her until Louise dies and
leaves her house to 18 year old Evangeline.
Evangeline, arriving at the house the day after she
graduates from school, finds a young man sitting at the kitchen table- it’s the
only quiet place he has found to study for med school. Gabriel is a beautiful
young man, and Evangeline is drawn to him and allows him to continue coming to
the house to study. But there is a problem: Gabriel has a girlfriend.
Louise has left Evangeline another item: a tiny vial of ruby
glass with a small bit of scent, with a note: “Don’t remove the crystal
stopper, Evangeline, unless you want everything in your life to change”
Evangeline feels her life sucks, so how can she resist? Of course she opens it
and applies the scent, which penetrates her skin and becomes one with her. The
scent starts coming off her in waves, even several showers and days later.
The scent makes her irresistible. Gabriel leaves his
girlfriend for her, strangers are drawn to her, women put their noses in her
hair, cats and dogs want to get close. Suddenly, Evangeline is the special girl
that she has never been. But being universally attractive has its problems- bad
is attracted along with good. Evangeline must decide between bad and good,
while trying to decide if she is loved for herself, or just for her magical scent.
What is real and what isn’t?
This is a coming of age story in magical realistic style.
Evangeline has come to the point in her life where she must find her own
identity. The author paints her as an empty vessel into which the scent is
poured; Evangeline has no friends, no interests, no ambitions. Will she allow
the scent to continue to be all she is, or will she chose to fill herself with
something more?
The story itself is interesting; the scent is a unique idea.
But Evangeline herself never came to life for me; her lack of interests and
drive made her flat. Gabriel isn’t very deep either; he exists to study for med
school and to love Evangeline. The villain is well done; he is warped and made
my skin crawl. I give this one 4 stars.
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