Review: Kiss of Broken Glass by Madeleine Kuderick

Kiss of Broken Glass by Madeleine Kuderick
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: September 9th, 2014
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and noble

Madeleine Kuderick’s gripping debut is a darkly beautiful and lyrical novel in verse, perfect for fans of Sonya Sones and Laurie Halse Anderson. Kiss of Broken Glass pulses with emotion and lingers long after the last page.

In the next seventy-two hours, Kenna may lose everything—her friends, her freedom, and maybe even herself. One kiss of the blade was all it took to get her sent to the psych ward for seventy-two hours. There she will face her addiction to cutting, though the outcome is far from certain.

When fifteen-year-old Kenna is found cutting herself in the school bathroom, she is sent to a facility for mandatory psychiatric watch. There, Kenna meets other kids like her—her roommate, Donya, who’s there for her fifth time; the birdlike Skylar; and Jag, a boy cute enough to make her forget her problems . . . for a moment.

My Thoughts:
First thing I want to say is that I love books in verse.  There is just something about them that is so much more powerful than your typical books in my opinion.  Maybe its because since you only have so many words every one has to count or maybe its just that this type of book speaks to me differently.  Whatever it is I know I need more of these in my life.

Okay moving on...Kiss of Broken Glass tells the tale of Kenna and what happens when peer pressure turns dangerous.  To fit in Kenna has to cut herself and since she doesn't want to be a nobody she decides this is the only alternative.  Kenna already feels like the outcast at home so when Rennie tells her this is what she has to do to make friends Kenna doesn't even hesitate because she knows she isn't a cutter and she can quit at any time right?  When she is caught at school she is sent to a 72 hour psych eval facility and thus begins her journey.

This wasn't the toughest read I have ever read, but it was powerful in its own way.  I felt connected to Kenna and I felt like she needed a hug.  I think her story is not the norm since her destructive behavior didn't stem from any type of abusive.  She just wanted to fit in and then got trapped in this horrible circle of friends.  I sometimes forget how hard it is in high school.  I didn't have the easiest time, but I know these days things are much harder for kids and it just breaks my heart.  Reading this story makes me think about the future of our kiddos and it sure terrifies me.

I really enjoyed the authors writing as well.  She really captured Kenna's voice and made her someone that we have all had in our class at one point or another.  I definitely want to keep a watch on this authors future books.

I wish these types of books were required reading for kids in high school and middle school.  They aren't pretty and they aren't hopeful sometimes but they are true life and eye opening.  I was moved by this story and I really think given to the right people it could make a difference.

The part I wasn't too interested in was the romanceishthing.  It wasn't developed but it was there and it just felt weird.  I don't think it was needed and I would have preferred to focus on Kenna's other friends in the facility.  Or rather just make the boy a friend and nothing more.

My favorite part was the butterfly part.  It was such a great symbol and I know I'll be on the lookout for butterflies the next time I go out in the hope that someone is keeping theirs alive.

3.5 snowflakes

Review and Giveaway: You Against Me by Jenny Downham

You Against Me by Jenny Downham

Publisher-David Fickling 
Release date-Dec 2nd 2010
Purchase-Amazon / B & N

If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? If your brother's been accused of a terrible crime and you're the main witness, then you banish all doubt and defend him. Isn't that what families do? When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her at a party, his world of work and girls begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is charged with the crime, but says he didn't do it, her world of revision, exams and fitting in at a new school begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another.

My Thoughts
This issue alone would usually have me steer clear of a book like this. I'm a paranormal junkie and the occasional contemporary romance YA reader, but when it comes to serious issues I tend to stay away...I guess I like reading escape more then reality, but once in awhile a book comes along and you read the reviews and my curiosity seems to get the better of me. You Against Me is one of those books and I'm so glad I took the chance on this one since I would have missed out on a really great read.

You Against Me is a story of pure complications. It's about a girl named Karyn who went to a party and is a victim of rape. Her brother Mikey, the has-to-be-responsible one in the family wants revenge on Tom, the one who did this to Karyn. But somewhere along the way Mikey falls for Tom's sister, Ellie. Someone who knows what actually happened... 
That's a pretty messy situation huh? 

Jenny Downham did an amazing job of tackling this kind of issue. It's true that a lot of the time rape is a very hard to prove and there is a lot of he said/she said with dangling doubts in the background. But there is more to this story. We get to see what it's like for the other people involved, the families and how it effects their lives and the choices they make. It's about loyalty and right and wrong no matter how much you hate it. But it's also a story about finding love where you least expect it. 

I didn't think a romance would be something that would fit in a story like this. It's so unlikely that the brother of the victim and the sister of the assaulter would come together like they did, but you know, it worked. I really enjoyed Mikey and Ellie. They are both going through their own personal hell, and yet, they don't want the other going through this pain, but by all rights, should want exactly that. They understand one another and no matter how problematic their relationship or involvement may seem, it makes more sense for them to be together then apart. It's not something easily conveyed, but Downham did a very convincing job by combining an intricate issue with heartfelt hope. 

Overall, I was very impress with this book. We don't get all the answers in the end, but in a way I'm glad. I don't really know how I'd feel one way or the other regarding Tom but I think everything will be alright for the rest of the characters and that's good enough for me.

Thought provoking, intriguing and tugs at the heart. 
Highly recommended!    

Find the author:
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                                                                   4 Snowflakes 

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