Delilah: The Making of Red is the latest from the New York Times and USA Today best selling young adult and new adult fiction author, Jessica Sorensen.
It is a short story that gives insight to Nova’s former best friend Delilah Pierce’s troubled life. The story also reveals how Delilah and Dylan Sanderson meet and start up a toxic relationship. Delilah and Dylan are both minor characters that we are introduced to in Sorensen’s book Breaking Nova.
Delilah has always felt invisible and lives in the shadow of her mother’s beauty. Her mother has a promiscuous lifestyle that in a way marks Delilah’s life in a negative way. She wishes she could be as wanted as her mother is with men. Delilah wants to feel passion, to be desired, and the center of the world.
The book starts with Delilah lying by a riverbed battered, bruised, and at the brink of death. Delilah starts to reflect on the past and how those events shaped her life for the worst. It all began when she was 16-years-old and she is in the kitchen eating breakfast with her mother’s latest one nightstand and her mother. As her mother engages with her latest conquest Delilah starts to daydream about finding her prince charming.
When Delilah is not daydreaming about her fairytale she devotes her energy in dancing and aspires to be a ballerina. Despite her mother’s lifestyle Delilah shies away from guys because she is extremely innocent and inexperienced.
That is all put to an end when she comes face to face with her new neighbor. Dylan is an 18-year-old tattooed bad boy that is the embodiment of Delilah’s fantasy. As he is working on his car in the front yard Delilah and Dylan slowly work toward their consuming relationship.
Instead of Dylan being Delilah’s knight and shining armor he turns out to be the biggest mistake of her life. Dylan in the beginning is a caring, loving and ideal boyfriend. As the relationship progresses Dylan’s evil dark side emerges and cages Delilah completely. Since Delilah has never felt wanted or loved she stays with Dylan because she doesn’t want to lose that feeling. The short story leaves you questioning if Delilah’s life ends by the riverbed.
Sorensen does it again with another gripping story. While reading the Nova Series Delilah is not a favorable character and comes off as vindictive and manipulative. Reading her story you can understand her questionable actions because of her trouble upbringing.
Delilah and Dylan’s relationship in the Nova Series is sometimes hard to read about because of his abusive actions. Now it is clear to see why Delilah stuck around with Dylan. Despite it being so short it was a powerful read with amazing character development.
Nova and Quinton’s story continues with Nova and Quinton: No Regrets that is set to be released April 15, 2014.
Delilah: The Making of Red is a free download that can be found on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.