StacyHgg

Mud Vein by Tarryn Fisher
Series: Standalone
Genre: Psychological Thriller (I think)
Age Group: Adult
Release Date: April 5th 2014
Length: 287 pages
Format: Kindle
Source: Purchased
Review Date: April 8th 2014
Steam Rating: Mild
Overall Rating: 5 STARS

Spoiler-Free Review:
First I would like to point out that I think this book should be read after the Love Me With Lies series. This novel has absolutely nothing to do with that series but to understand the beauty of all that is Tarryn Fisher and this novel I believe you must know her other writing. You must know her style. She writes for the masochistic reader like myself, and if you don’t like to put yourself through hell than she is not for you. She is so real, raw, and honest in her writing. I don’t know Tarryn personally but if I had to guess I would say she is a complex person. At least that is how she writes her characters.

I have been thinking about how to describe this book for a few hours, and I still do not have adequate words. I mean I will try but I know that I will be re-reading this one soon. It was somewhat of an enigma for me. I was seriously lost for about half the book, and then slowly the puzzle pieces started to make sense. And that is what I felt like I was doing, solving a complex and depressing puzzle.

Mud Vein was HEAVY, intense, and unpredictable. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and I NEVER knew what was going to happen next. It is supposed to be read that way, but it left me emotionally exhausted. The sorrow depicted was so real, so vivid, I swear I felt it myself. It is one of those books where I do not know where it ended and I began.

So what was it about?

I just can’t get to much into the storyline without spoiling it. I suggest going in blind but if you want a little tidbit of info I will give you that (minus spoilers of course).

Senna our “heroine” is a very depressing character. She is a recluse, she is anti-social, and she is silent. I mean this chick would be a total drag to be around–no smiling, no (okay very little) talking, no laughing, and no feeling. She has some serious mental and emotional issues in the beginning which only get worse with time. She has been through some trauma in her life (who hasn’t) but she does not deal with this well. She just completely shuts down.

Life is too short to hide your wrongs. So I hide myself instead.

I was not a big fan of Senna for most of the book. I thought she was weak and selfish. But she grew on me like mold. I ended up sympathizing with her. Mud Vein is told from her POV so it’s hard not to after awhile. She is not a bad person, just sick (IMO). But that’s Tarryn’s MO, writing anti-heroines ;)

And then there is Isaac our hero. I absolutely adored him the entire time. He was everything beautiful a man could be, patient, kind, smart, caring, talented, and handsome. I really could go on and on about him. I felt an immediate love for him that stayed with me the entire book.

And he was the only one who knew how to handle Senna. He let her be silent, but not when he needed her to open up. He tried to be everything for her, and I ached for him.

I try to look away but he holds my face so that I can’t move. I don’t like being this close to him. He starts seeping into my pores. It tingles.
“I’m crying, but I don’t feel anything,” I assure him.
He pulls his lips into a tight line and nods.
“Yes, I know. That’s what hurts me the most.”

I really felt like she was darkness and he was light. And I kept fearing she was going to suck the life right out of him. IDK maybe she did…

But I still haven’t told you what is was about :)

Sorry there will be no plot disclosure for you! It has to be that way. You will understand when you read it. And you will read it… It has to be killing you–I know it was killing me.

If I had to describe this novel in one word it would be tragic. One single tragedy after another with a continuous tragedy entwined throughout.

What makes it worth reading is the writing. It is so beautiful it hurts. Like I said before it was honest, and every single person will be able to relate to something Senna has or is going through.

Some people have mentioned it’s not a romance. Well it’s not but it has a romance in it, albeit a tragic one.

“What’s the difference?” I asked him. “Between the love of your life, and your soulmate?”
“One is a choice, and one is not.”

Overall, Mud Vein was nothing like what I expected, and everything I expected. If you are already a fan of Tarryn’s then you will know what I mean. I expected phenomenal writing that will gut me, and that is exactly what I got. But the storyline–well no one will be prepared for that.

You are my truth, Isaac, and you set me free.

~StacyHgg
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