Eva

Review by Christa, Hooked on Books, 15 August 2011

Relations that Suck and La Femme Fatale are two stories about the same girl – a vampire named Eva. La Femme Fatale tells her story, taking us back to the time of the French Revolution and her move to the New World. It takes us through her early time as a vampire and her struggle to both conceal and accept what she is. The most unique part of La Femme Fatale, however, is its format. Referred to as “genre-busting” Marilyn Yu has taken our traditional concept of the book and turned it into…a deck of cards. Though large (they’re about trade paperback size) the cards remind you of a tarot deck. Containing a story, waiting to be read.

From Eva’s personal narrative in La Femme Fatale, the story continues in Relations that Suck. Relations that Suck starts much later on, once Eva has figured out a way to live inconspicuously as a vampire. She befriends a local spider named Dries. It explores their complicated relationship and both the positive and negative effects that relationship can have on one another. Like La Femme Fatale, this book isn’t presented in the traditional way. The narrative is accompanied by a series of beautiful photographs that represent the evolution of Eva and Dries.

Both of these stories are presented in an incredible fashion. The photographs in Relations that Suck are breathtaking and you need to take your time to fully take in each one. The story wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting without them. Likewise, the artwork in La Femme Fatale is equally breathtaking. Each card was clearly give a great deal of time and attention and the art has an incredible detail, fitting in with whatever time period is taking place at different points in the story.

The stories themselves are well written but I don’t think would stand out quite as well without their artwork. The two go together, they are perfect compliments. There are many stories out there right now about vampires. These two stories do not differ all to much from whats already out there, but what makes them worth picking up is the multi-level experience you will get from them. You’re not just reading a story. You’re also looking at an art show, reading the tarot cards and getting pulled in by Eva’s dark and beautiful eyes. I really enjoyed reading these books and they are a great read for people looking for a break from the conventional novel.

About the Author

Marilyn Yu, voted Best APA Designer in the Bay Area by Asian Week readers, is a clothing designer, artist, and author based in San Francisco. With a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Masters in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley, Yu is constantly trying to merge her various interests in the work she does. For over a decade, Yu has interwoven media, ideas, and people in her creations.

“La Femme Fatale” tells the story of Eva Prim who came into this world in the fourteenth century in Cairo. When the Black Death threatens to take her life, her parents turn to an old gypsy woman to save her. In doing so, Eva becomes a vampire. As she journeys through the next 700 years, Eva maintains her compassion and humanity towards people. Enduring through the difficult times brought about by war, disease, politics and the Inquisition, Eva learns how to use her talents and gifts to survive and to help others. As Eva’s journey comes to end, her spirit has found the enlightenment that she spent a lifetime seeking and she learns to let go of a final attachment so that she can transcend.

The author, Marilyn Yu, is described as, “a creative guru who has interwoven media, ideas and people into her creations for over a decade.” This description of her is clearly demonstrated in both the format and the tale of “La Femme Fatale.” Created in a card format similar to the tarot, Eva Prim’s life story is told both in writing and in pictures making it something incredibly unique that is sure to be treasured by its owner. For me, when I opened the beautiful box containing the beautifully designed cards, I felt like I was opening a treasure chest.

I totally enjoyed the way that this story is formatted because while most books that would tell a tale spanning 700 years would get bogged down by text, the author/artist is able to convey the journey of Eva Prim through both illustrations and some text. Also by leaving some of the cards just beautifully decorated with no words, readers can use them for reflection and divination into their own subconscious minds to learn more about themselves.
I think that “La Femme Fatale” would be the perfect gift for a woman who has everything, because I can guarantee you that she has nothing like this, and she would be sure to treasure the beauty of how the story is both composed and portrayed. The companion guide that accompanies the book would also help guide her to make full use of the cards. The guide helps to explain the cards and offers questions that will assist the reader as a tool to gain a deeper understanding of herself.

Paige Lovitt, Reader Views, June 2011

The first review of La Femme Fatale is here, by vampire literature expert Bertena Varney.

La Femme Fatale by Marilyn Yu is simply another example of the author’s myriad of talent. In her first book, Relations that Suck: The Story of Eva and Dries, she tells a spellbinding and passionate story by providing the reader with a virtual masterpiece of photographed actors playing the role in each page of the book. This was such a wonderful creation and it left me anxiously looking forward to her next book.

When I received the box I was shocked. I opened the “box” and realized that the book was created in a tarot style. Each page was a tarot card that represented the pages in Eva’s story.

While reading it, I found myself getting lost in the beauty of the cards and not taking in the entire story. But, as you read the story you are overtaken by the luring words in which Marilyn writes. She is not an author who just writes a story but she writes poetry and romance like no other. Each word is filled full of meaning and emotion like a strawberry that one bites into and the juice overtakes the senses. The taste is so beautiful and tasteful and not one that the normal reader can describe. She is amazing with her weaving of the story that she so graciously provides us with.

The Eva’s world of the vampire there is so much of this world that many vampire fans long for- colors that are bright, clothes that are rich, and beautiful beautiful people. The story and pages make ones long to be a part of Eva’s world, no matter if it is happy, sad or very real to the world of the vampire.

Marilyn has once again shocked, amazed, and pulled me into the world of Eva. It is unusual to find such talent in one person.

Marilyn not only writes the stories, designs the cards, photographs the actors, but designs and makes the clothing through her own personal clothing line, Plutonium Clothing.

I highly recommend this to everyone– the vampire fan, the artist, the poet – there is something here for everyone and more.

Examiner.com, June 1st, 2011
Bertena Varney, Paranormal Literature Examiner

“With her astounding new work, Marilyn Yu reminds us why, for so much of history, images and words were considered inextricable. Yu pushes the boundaries of narrative with her story of Eva Prim, a vampire and the “Femme Fatale” of the title. LA FEMME FATALE’s layered and complex presentation–inspired by tarot cards and illuminated manuscripts–touches both the reader’s intellect and emotions. As an object of beauty itself, LA FEMME FATALE –which demands to be held, shuffled and examined–shows us why digital books will never be an adequate replacement for the sensory wonder of a real, physical book.”

Shawna Yang Ryan is the author of Water Ghosts (originally published in 2007 as Locke 1928) and was a finalist for the 2008 Northern California Book Award.

Born in Sacramento, California, the child of parents who met during the Vietnam War when her father was stationed in Taiwan, Shawna Yang Ryan graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and received an M.A. from the University of California, Davis. In 2002, she was a Fulbright scholar in Taiwan. She currently lives in Berkeley, California.