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Heathfield, Lisa
3 Reviews
(3)
YA
Inseparable sisters Rita and Lo are trapeze artists, born into a small UK circus. When Lo falls for a boy outside the circus, Rita worries the forbidden romance will destroy their family; Lo worries their mother's secret affair already has. In alternating perspectives, the sisters' stories spiral toward a tragic ending. Descriptions of the troupe's increasingly risky performances add eerie tension.
Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald
(4)
YA
After years of physical and emotional abuse at her (white) stepmother's hands, biracial June finally snaps, resulting in a shocking tragedy. This weighty problem novel doesn't exactly break new ground, but alternating "Before" and "After" chapters effectively chronicle both a child's silence about the abuse she suffers and a young adult's continuing struggle to come to terms with her past.
Reviewer: Rebecca Fox
(4)
YA
Fifteen-year-old Pearl is ecstatic to have changed from "a child to a woman"--she can now be a Companion to the all-powerful patriarch, Papa S. But with her new status comes a more sinister view of the cult community of Seed. Pearl is occasionally an unsympathetic protagonist, but this debut novel's well-paced plot, stirring climax, and provocative concept compensate.
Reviewer: Sian Gaetano
3 reviews
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