Nameless By Lili St. Crow

Nameless is a dark and twisted Snow White retelling that makes for one addictive read.

Favourite Quote: 

“Little girl,” someone rasped. 

It was the man with the tan trench coat and the stained red baseball cap. He was gaunt, unshaven, and his dark hair was matted into grizzled dreadlocks. A pair of feverish dark gleams for eyes and a scar stubbed jaw; his hand bit her upper arm, fingers clamping with surprising, scary strength. Cami flinched. 

“I know you, little girl.” He slurred as if his tongue was too big for his mouth. He inhaled sharply, his breath whistling. 

She had time to be surprised that he didn’t smell bad—he reeked, in fact, only of fresh lumber, sap and sawdust—before he leaned close to her face and yelled, the whiskey on his breath burning her nose. “I know you! You were dead!”

Book Synopsis:
When Camille was six years old, she was discovered alone in the snow by Enrico Vultusino, godfather of the Seven—the powerful Families that rule magic-ridden New Haven. Papa Vultusino adopted the mute, scarred child, naming her after his dead wife and raising her in luxury on Haven Hill alongside his own son, Nico.

Now Cami is turning sixteen. She’s no longer mute, though she keeps her faded scars hidden under her school uniform, and though she opens up only to her two best friends, Ruby and Ellie, and to Nico, who has become more than a brother to her. But even though Cami is a pampered Vultusino heiress, she knows that she is not really Family. Unlike them, she is a mortal with a past that lies buried in trauma. And it’s not until she meets the mysterious Tor, who reveals scars of his own, that Cami begins to uncover the secrets of her birth…to find out where she comes from and why her past is threatening her now.

Review:

I’m always up for a good fairy tale retelling and have found that YA retellings are by far my favourite. I really love this book and find myself re-reading it every year. It’s a quick, easy read and very entertaining. The author has done a fabulous job at taking the classic Snow White tale and making it her own. In this book, you get vampires, werewolves, witches, and all sorts of other magical/paranormal creatures. They all live together along with humans in harmony (sort of). The book is set in the modern-day world and takes place in a small town surrounded by a dark creepy forest. Lili St. Crow is brilliant in weaving together all these very different story elements and creating something unique and interesting to read. There is this dark, creepy feel to this book, which is pretty typical of a Lili St. Crow’s YA book. This dark and unknown force or evil entity is moving in the shadows, haunting Cami, and I just devoured that creepy vibe this book gave off at times.

The paranormal world the author created is also very different from the typical paranormal world you would find yourself reading in other books. She injected enough uniqueness into the story that I never felt like I was bored or that I was reading something that I had read a million times before. In this book, the main focus is on vampires. Cami is found as a young child by a powerful vampire Family, who takes her in as one of their own even though she is human. I loved the vampire world that Lili had created. It was interesting and I found myself just as invested in the secondary story, which centers around Nico taking over his father’s position in The Family. This vampire world really works beautifully with this retelling of Snow White. It adds that extra element of danger and darkness to the story.   

Cami is an interesting character. She comes across as being very meek and quiet, which stems from the fact that she stutters. I liked her as a heroine; even though she comes across as being meek, that spunky attitude comes out from time to time. Cami’s journey is one of trying to figure out who she really is and where she belongs, which is pretty classic for a fairy tale heroine. She struggles with the fact that someone left her on the side of the road severely injured as a child, and she has no memory of what happened before living with The Family. Cami also realizes that even though The Family has taken her in and treated her as one of their own, she knows that she doesn’t truly fit in because she isn’t a vampire. There is this feeling of madness in her journey. Dark things are whispering in her ear, visions are coming and going, and as the story progresses, Cami feels more lost than ever. 

Nico is that typical reluctant hero who wants nothing to do with the responsibilities of running The Family and becoming a powerful member of this vampire society. He rebels any chance that he gets, which has earned him this reputation of being this reckless brash man who is only looking for a good time. Of course, Cami is the only one who sees through that front he puts on and is the only one who can soothe that angry, reckless side of Nico. 

There is some romance in this story, not an overwhelming amount. I like the relationship and chemistry between Cami and Nico. Their growing feelings have this forbidden feel. He is a vampire and her adoptive brother of sorts, and she is human. Now, this book sits firmly in the YA genre, and what I mean by this is nothing more than kissing and cuddling happens in this book. 

Nameless is a twisted and addictive retelling of Snow White.