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This was a slightly bizarre, unusual and charming book which made me think of Alice in Wonderland.

Rory is an 18 year-old girl with a mother in a psychiatric hospital. All her life her mother believed in demons who take young girls away in the dark of night and made Rory walk around with a torch and a knife, and stay home after dark.

One day Rory can't escape the dark and she is taken away to the ghost town of Palladino, where young girls are groomed and educated to serve The Ruling Lords and give them their memories, so the monsters will remember how to be alive.

The only thing Rory wants to do is to survive and escape, but her bravery, boldness and her talent as a cake maker attract attention of two of The Ruling Lords. One is Herve The Hunter, a dark sadistic monster, who tortures and kills anything surrounding him, and the other is Martin Marius, a whimsical mad hatter, an inventor and a dreamer with a penchant for cats.

Only one of them can set her free, but she is stuck in a tug of war between two enemies in a plot bigger than her escape, plot that threatens the existence of Palladino, the town of ghosts.

I really enjoyed Ciye Cho's writing. It's simple but but at the same time whimsical and beautiful. Also you can't help but fall in love with the descriptions of Palladino and with Rory's best friend - a ghost cat Cookie. Recommended.
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Rory was a wonderfully imaginative read. Palladino is not your normal afterlife: it's a beautiful city for ghosts who were afraid to move on, and who require human companions to remind them of what living was like. In some ways, this book reminded me of [b:The Selection|10507293|The Selection (The Selection, #1)|Kiera Cass|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1322103400s/10507293.jpg|15413183]: young girls move into a castle to be trained, and only the top girls move on to the next "round." Of course, the young ladies at the charm school have to learn far more interesting things than proper etiquette, which is where some really neat creations come into play. Cho's background as a graphic designer is evident in the vivid descriptions of Palladino; they were so much fun to visualize and made it quite easy to get lost in this enchanting world.

Aside from her overuse of the word "alas," Rory is a wonderful narrator with just the right amount of snark in her "voice." She's brave, impulsive and strong, yet also vulnerable and insecure. And the fact that she bakes and decorates cakes for a living is really neat and makes her stand out among the female YA protagonists.

The secondary characters are just as well-developed and intriguing. I really liked Manny the skine and the Ghost Lord Martin, though Cookie the talking cat stole the show whenever he was in a scene. I can't wait to explore more of these characters' histories in future books.

I can't finish my review of Rory without mentioning the cover, which was designed by Cho himself. It's absolutely gorgeous and relevant to the story.

Overall, Rory was a really enjoyable, inventive read. It may have been the first book that I've read by Ciye Cho, but it certainly won't be the last. I look forward to reading the sequel!

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. ( )