E-book provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you so much!
Hanna lives in a poly society called Clearhaven. As the oldest of many children, she is set to be married off to a man more than twice her age. She meets Daniel soon after and begins to question her place in Clearhaven, as well as the world. Daniel tells her stories of the cities outside of their secluded town, and her mother hints that she wants more for Hanna than to be a fifth wife to a middle-aged man.
Hanna is the epitome of a girl torn between two things: her responsibilities to her family and the powerful pull of her heart. She starts a bit docile and soon her character grows into something brave and beautiful. This story grabbed me from page one. The tension was so high; I sat there with my mouth open reading each word with my heart stuttering, and gripping my Kindle like a lifesaving device. The people around Hanna seem to want to do her harm, and she is in the middle, baring her teeth like a wolf. The one antagonist, Hanna’s father, was the worst of the worst. A villain through and through. With so many things working against Hanna, I worried so hard for her, and that kept me reading well past my bedtime.
This was the most intriguing story I have read all year. Christopher Meades took us into Hanna’s mind, and it was wrought with emotion. The story moved along so well that I felt as though I was in a movie, watching it scene by scene, gripping my chair and shoving popcorn in my mouth, so I didn’t scream at the screen! I was in awe of the way he had drawn Hanna and how masterful he got into the head of a teenage girl. He even threw in a bit of magical realism that was like a light in the dark.
All in all, I loved this story. I was ardently invested in the character and found myself plowing through in a day, as it is a quick read. I was hoping for something a bit more substantial at the end, but it was satisfying nonetheless. I highly recommend and will add Meades to my list of authors to watch.
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