Faceless Review: Mackenzie

Book: Faceless

Author: Monica Millard

Series: Mortal Monsters

Standing: Book 1

POV: 1st person by Mackenzie, present tense

Setting: Wasilla, Alaska

Genre: YA paranormal

Source: ebook, author (thank you, Monica!)

Pages: 163

Release: September 1st, 2015

There isn’t a lot of excitement or drama to be had for a teenager in Wasilla, Alaska. This is especially true for students of the charter high school, Lakes Charter. That is until a jock is killed in a brutal attack on school property. The victim is the instigator of the school’s bullying ring and his biggest target, both literally at six and a half feet tall and in frequency, is Eli Markham, the lead suspect. The only problem with that story is at the time the murder took place, he was in the school parking lot installing a new battery with Mackenzie Carver. Me. I didn’t really know Eli before I gave him a ride. I don’t think anyone does know him. He’s kind of a loner, but we’ve been thrown together and the more time I spend with him, the more I want to learn. All of that will have to wait though, because something is after us, something that isn’t human, something that keeps trying to frame Eli for crimes he didn’t commit.  The scheme might be more successful if I didn’t keep getting in the way of someone’s plans. (Goodreads)

Mackenzie Carver is a teenager living in Alaska. Her life changes completely when the murder of a school jock throws her together with Elias Markham, the prime suspect. However, as she knows for a fact that Eli has nothing to do with the murder, she fights for his innocence, ultimately drawing some unwanted--and inhuman--attention. Her conviction to do what was right regardless of the consequences made her a morally strong character, and she took the revelation of the truth with grace. I also liked how Mackenzie has panic attacks, as it made her both human and relatable. 

Eli is the love interest of the story, ultimately the driving force behind the plot. He's dealing with some issues, and when he's accused for murder, he has no idea that Mackenzie would stand up for him. She's one of the least likely of people to do so, yet she does, and that really impacts Eli. Eli is also the tortured soul of the novel, trying--and failing--to deny who he really is.

The world is quite interesting. It's one where paranormal monsters exist, such as vampires, chameleons, vampires, shape shifters etc. There are also various groups who all have different interests with them. It will leave you guessing at what the true motives behind people are, who exactly is on who's side, and who is what.

I really liked the idea of a shapeshifter, and I thought the shapeshifter was integrated quite well into the plot. I was suspicious of practically everyone that came into contact with Mackenzie, yet I still didn't see the shapeshifter coming. It took me completely by surprise!

As much as I liked the plot (especially the ending, which was great!), I found the novel be a little too fast-paced. I would have preferred to see the events fleshed out a bit more, to see a bit more internal conflict and struggle on Mackenzie's part. Similarly, I wasn't quite able to connect to Mackenzie as much as I would have liked to in the beginning of the novel, as I found her slightly too blunt and oblivious for my liking. But she got better as the novel progressed, and I'm hoping she'll continue to grow into an even stronger girl in the next books.

Overall, this book has great potential. The plot is one that leaves you guessing at the nature of the characters, and who's a good guy. The ending leaves the door open for numerous possibilities to occur in the next books, and the characters have tons of room to grow and develop into some exceptionally strong leads. We'll have to see where the author takes it from here!