Review by Lizzie M.
STOLE MY HEART!!
Sublime Wreckage is the debut novel from Charlene Zapata. This is a captivating roller coaster story about abuse, strength, heartbreak, and love. The characters are what make this story a 5-star read. Written from Maggie’s POV (with some alternating from Vincent), Ms. Zapata does a remarkable job transporting the reader inside Maggie’s life, experiencing all of her very raw emotions. I love strong female characters and Maggie Wilson is just that. Her strength and courage makes Maggie one of the most inspiring characters I’ve read about this year, and I’ve read a lot. Although the book is really a Young Adult read, Maggie’s intense storyline classifies could fall into New Adult as well. For such a young woman, she has the strength of ten. Vince is that guy … why we love our fictional boyfriends. I appreciated the fact that he took the route of “friend first” which only made me root for them more. Both characters were wise beyond their years. I look for great secondary characters – and that’s the only facet missing here. The secondary folks (like Maggie) aren’t poorly written, but I needed a bit more to cement their connections to the principal parts. Ms. Zapata’s writing style is seamless and places the reader front and center of all the action. Even with some uncomfortable topics, the writing flowed and the dialogue was realistic. The author has done a great job developing two voices for two very different characters, and rooted the story in the relationships they have with each other, family, and friends. The storyline itself is powerful, and develops at a pace that is both believable and moving. Fair warning to all readers – you will need book 2 immediately as this is a cliffhanger ending by my terms. For a debut author, Charlene Zapata produced amazing work for her first novel, and has written a truly engaging tale. I look forward reading more about Maggie and Vince.
B.A. Dillon 