Faceless // Book Review

A couple of weeks ago I finished reading a book that I think will stick with me for a long time. It's called Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel.

Here is my review:

Title: Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel

Format: Paperback

Pages: 343

Published by: Chicken House in 2016

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Romance

Goodreads page here.

'When Maisie Winters wakes up, she’s in the hospital.

The last thing she remembers is running through the hills of her neighborhood one misty morning. Slowly, she puts the pieces together. Before she could make it home, a storm gathered. Lightning hit a power line and sparks rained down, the hot-burning electrical fire consuming her. Destroying her face. Where her nose, cheeks, and chin used to be, now there is…nothing.

Maisie’s lucky enough to qualify for a rare medical treatment: a face transplant. At least, everyone says she’s lucky. But with someone else’s features staring back at her in the mirror, Maisie looks—and feels—like a stranger. The doctors promised that the transplant was her chance to live a normal life again, but nothing feels normal anymore. Before, she knew who she was—a regular girl who ran track and got good grades, who loved her boyfriend and her best friend. Now, she can’t even recognize herself.

New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Sheinmel has created a gripping and gorgeously written tale of identity and love. This is a story of losing yourself and the long, hard fight to find your way back.'

I bought this book at the beginning of the year and every month I looked at it, telling myself that I would read it. Which I never did, until last month. The one thing that caught my eye when book shopping all those months ago was the front cover, it's so simplistic yet I really like it. I holds a lot of meaning, which you will find out if you read the blurb. That's what I did next and that is what sold the book for me. It's so original and different, I just had to read it. And, I'm glad that I did.

This book follows the main character Maisie one morning when she decides to go on a run, a decision that will change her life forever.

Maisie is the victim of an awful accident, when lightning strikes and the fire burns her. Her face is partially ruined, she is now left with the permanent scars, a reminder of that day, for the rest of her life.

Until, one day in the hospital that she's staying in, an opportunity arises for Maisie to have a face transplant. Every one is telling her how lucky she is, to have not only survived but to also have such a great opportunity. An opportunity that very few get.

Going back to living your life as before isn't as easy as it seems, especially when you no longer have your own face. Maisie has to adjust to the problems that this accident brought with it, she is no longer accepted by her peers, she has to learn to be brave again, to stand tall again. To love herself before she can love others and to learn the true meaning of 'lucky'.

You'll be pleased to hear that this whole story is about learning to love yourself before you can venture into the world of loving others, which is such an important message. Many stories use love and relationships to fix all problems, but Maisie's problem can't be fixed by the love of another.

“You have to learn to love yourself before you can love someone else. Because it's only when we love ourselves that we feel worthy of someone else's love.”  

Before the accident, Maisie was popular, bright and dating one of the nicest guys at her school.

After the accident, Maisie has lost all confidence, she is stared at by everyone, her looks have become a joke for all to laugh at and her relationship with Chirag has broken. He's with her out of sympathy, not love.

Maisie is such a relatable character, she is just like every other ordinary teenager and I truly learnt a lot from her. She had a future in athletics, being one of the best track runners at her school. She had planned out her future down to the smallest detail, from what she was wearing at her next dance to what college she wished to attend. The main things I learnt from Maisie is to not let others put you down, be who you want to be and love yourself for who you are. And that, really, looks don't matter, at all.

Chirag also has a future in athletics, spending most of his time at the track training for his next race. He is also one of the brainiest students at the school, knowing the answer to every question. He is Maisie's boyfriend and does everything he can to protect her and look after her, but that only puts a strain on the relationship and they soon realise that the love they once had for each other is slowly dissolving.

Serena is one of my favourite characters. She loves Maisie, no matter what. She is Maisie's best friend and is her rock throughout this whole, entire book. Yes, at times she can be a bit insensitive but never once does she mean to be malicious. I loved this character, she saw through the scars and saw Maisie for who she truly is. And that, is what makes a good friend.

Adam is a man that Maisie meets at the group that she is forced to attend, a place below a church that people with similar problems go to, to chat about their pasts and work on making their future brighter. He is one of the most genuine characters in this book, what you see is what you get. He has learnt to not care what people think of him, even though his face is even more severely scarred than Maisie's. He helps to guide Maisie through this difficult time, he's like her guardian angel.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It's quite a quick read, it only took me a few days to read and I really didn't want it to end. You'll become so attached to the characters, you'll want to stay in this world and find out what happens next.

I loved how this book was based on friendship and self love rather than romance. We need more young adult books like this in our bookshops. This story felt so real, it's a book that I will always remember. It tells a very important message about loving yourself and how that is the most important thing.

I really enjoyed Alyssa's writing, I'll definitely be looking out for more of her books in the future. Her descriptions and character development brought the story to life and she wrote about the delicate subject so well. Well done Alyssa! You have written an amazing book!

I have given this book a strong four out of five stars.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell             

Have you read Faceless?

If so, what did you think of it?

Have you read many books with the message 'love yourself before you love others'?