Review + Guest Post: Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Today I am participating on a blog tour for Jackie Morse Kessler's latest book, Rage, the second book in her Horsemen of the Apocalypse series.

Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Book 2
(Book 1: Hunger review here)

The books are part of a series but need not be read in order. My review contains no spoilers for Hunger or Rage.

Tags: YA, magical realism, bullying, self-injury

Summary

Melissa “Missy” Miller feels like her life is spinning completely out of control as her boyfriend dumps her, then humiliates her in front of their entire class by showing the world her scars. To deal with the pain, she cuts more and more, until she cuts too deep and is offered an ultimatum by the Pale Rider, Death: die forever, or accept her new role as the new War, the Red Rider of the Apocalypse.

Missy’s new “job” puts her in contact with not only external battles but internal ones as well. For War is very persuasive and is always trying to convince Missy to let go and unleash her fury on all those who have hurt her and deserve to be hurt in return. To tame War and herself, Missy must come to terms with what is out of her control…and what is.

Review

I was really impressed with Hunger, the first book in this new series that combines mythological influences with serious modern issues. However, I have to be honest and say that the second book, RAGE, didn’t work for me quite as much.

I cannot say anything bad about this series’ intentions. These issues—anorexia and self-injury, body image and bullying—should be taken with the utmost seriousness, and yet Kessler uses such a wonderfully unique way to talk about these issues, which might have been beaten to death in more academic or psychological fields. The idea of these new Riders having to overcome their own issue in order to fully embrace their role and help out others is wonderful. Throw in some persnickety steeds and a wry-voiced Death, and you’ve got an utterly cool blend of the magical and the all-too-real.

RAGE didn’t quite fulfill its mission for me, though. For some reason, I found it really hard to connect with Missy. Not that her situation does not provoke sympathy, for it does, oh it does. But she was so defined by her pain, by her humiliation, that she felt less like a real person and more like a literal “poster girl” one holds up to a crowd of bored “at risk” high school students and says regarding her, “YOU SEE WHAT CAN HAPPEN? YOU DON’T WANT THINGS TO TURN OUT LIKE THIS.” Not a very effective teaching strategy by any means.

RAGE felt, to me, like it was concentrating much more on the message it was trying to send and less on developing unique characters or a compelling plot. Supporting characters were flat and not very convincing: for example, I knew I was supposed to feel angry at Missy’s bullying classmates’ words and actions, but at the same time I felt it was more for show—kind of a “this is what bullies are supposed to do and sound like” act. The message got in the way of the story, I guess.

If you read and enjoyed Hunger, I encourage you to give RAGE a try. Perhaps it’s been a while since I’ve read Hunger; perhaps you will find less issue with RAGE than I did.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - Graphia / April 4, 2011 / Paperback / 228pp. / $8.99

Sent for review by Blue Slip Media.

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Jackie's author guest post:

Stories and Actions

Stories can be powerful. And at their best, stories can help change the world.

If there's a unifying theme in the Riders of the Apocalypse books, it's how we choose to destroy ourselves -- and how we choose to save ourselves as well. That's where charities come in.

When I was writing HUNGER, my goal was to get people to start thinking about eating disorders. I used to be bulimic, and I still have self-image issues, so this was a very personal issue for me. By the time I was done writing the book, I decided that I would donate a portion of proceeds to the National Eating Disorders Association, a terrific organization that provides support for those affected by eating disorders. (For more about what NEDA does, check out the organization's website.)

Then I started working on RAGE, which looks at self-injury. This was a completely new topic for me; while I've experienced emotional overload, I haven't self-injured (well, other than the bulimia, but that was about food and control, whereas self-injury is more about emotional control). After doing a lot of research, I started writing the book -- and I thought about donating some of the proceeds to a different charity. The problem was, I had no idea which charity to consider.

outsidervocals.com

And then, serendipity: my critique partner mentioned the organization To Write Love On Her Arms. So I checked out the website and I was amazed by what I saw. TWLOHA helps provide support for people who are wrestling with self-injury, addiction, depression, and suicidal thoughts. And that's when I decided that part of RAGE proceeds would go to TWLOHA.

If you've bought HUNGER or RAGE, thank you so much for helping to make a difference. Because it's not just stories that can help change the world; actions do too.

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Thank you for the guest post, Jackie! TWLOHA is an organization that has personal meaning for me and some of my friends. If you haven't heard of them and what they do, I encourage you to check them out. It might bring tears to your eyes.

And if you're still with me...

Riders of the Apocalypse giveaway!

Three lucky winners will receive one copy each of HUNGER and RAGE along with postcards and a mini-poster! To enter, send an e-mail to RageGiveaway@gmail.com. In the body of the e-mail, include your name and e-mail address (if you're under 13, submit a parent's name and e-mail address). One entry per person and prizes will only be shipped to US or Canadian addresses. Entries must be received by midnight (PDT) on 4/30/11. Winners will be selected in a random drawing on 5/1/11 and notified via email.

Jackie's next stop is Mundie Moms at http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/.

Author Interview (T2T): Jackie Morse Kessler

Adult urban fantasy turned YA writer Jackie Morse Kessler is participating in a Traveling to Teens tour to promote her debut YA novel, a unique and wonderful magical realism book called Hunger, which reimagines the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Today, Jackie was kind enough to stop by and answer a few questions for readers. Welcome, Jackie, to Steph Su Reads!

1. A modern, urban fantasy retelling of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse--how cool! What gave you the idea for this new series?

Death, doom and destruction, of course! **g** Actually, for me the focus was always on an anorexic protagonist becoming Famine. Thinking through the purpose of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse came later. I guess it’s closer to magical realism than urban fantasy.

I’ve wanted to write this story for years. But I’d convinced myself that it would never sell, because it wasn’t sexy. No one would want to read about a girl with anorexia, I thought. Luckily, my agent convinced me otherwise. (Her exact words were, “Are you crazy?”)

2. Lisabeth's demonic inner voice is so pitch-perfect it's eerie. Did you have a similar inner voice when you were a teen? How did you finally defeat it?

Ah, the Thin Voice. Yeah, evil, isn’t it? I used to be bulimic, and even though I haven’t been for many years, it was very easy to slip into that mindset when I was writing HUNGER. I wonder if we ever lose that nasty voice, the one that whispers how ugly/fat/alone/insert-your-poison-here we are. I still have bad days when I feel worthless. But even at my worst, I still live my life. That’s the thing: being able to ignore that voice if we can’t completely silence it. I’ll never be perfect. And that’s OK.

3. How different was it to switch from writing adult urban fantasy to YA?

Once I figured out that the protagonist was 17 and not an adult, it just flowed. So I was very fortunate; it wasn’t difficult at all. (Maybe that’s because the story has been simmering for 10 years! It was much harder writing the second book, RAGE.)

4. Let's talk a little about Death, probably my favorite character. Why did you decide to create such an unconventional--and, as a result, endearing--Death character?

Thanks! He sort of pulled an Athena and sprung from my mind, fully formed. I wasn’t even into Nirvana when I created him. (Or maybe I was and I just didn’t know it.) Other authors have done wonderful things with the character of Death — Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett and Piers Anthony come immediately to mind; I’m sure those characters influenced me when I created Death for HUNGER.

Unlike the other Horsemen, who have been replaced over the years, Death is the original. So it seemed to me he had to have a very...interesting perspective on life. You’d have to have a sense of humor if you were Death for thousands upon thousands of years, no? (One hopes!)

5. The Four Horsemen are said to bring about the apocalypse as harbingers of the Last Judgment, in the biblical version. At the risk of sounding a bit morbid, how might you imagine the end of the world coming about?

Well, if I were an evil overlord—and if there’s an opening, please let me know—I’d destroy everything with chocolate. Chocolate typhoons. Chocolate avalanches. Chocolate volcanoes. Chocolate climate change! Sucks for those people who are allergic to chocolate, but hey — I’m evil. **g**

6. And now for something hopefully a little less morbid: if you could be a Horsemen, what would you symbolize, what color would your steed be, what would you carry, and what would your travels consist of?

I’d be the Horseman of Second Guessing. My color would be blue—no, green...I’d have an overstuffed backpack as my symbol because I’d be afraid that I’d forgotten whatever my real symbol was. And I’d mostly hang out in Washington, D.C., where it seems like second-guessing prevents anything meaningful from getting done quickly.

7. What books would you recommend to a reader who's interested in starting to read adult urban fantasy?

Oh wow. Much better for me to recommend authors instead of specific books. And so...Neil Gaiman, Chris Moore, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Rob Thomas, all of the Deadline Dames (Devon Monk, Jenna Black, Karen Mahoney, Keri Arthur, Lili Saintcrow, Rachel Vincent, Rinda Elliott, Toni Andrews and me. :) and the League of Reluctant Adults (Mario Acevedo, Michele Bardsley, Dakota Cassidy, Carolyn Crane, Molly Harper, Mark Henry, Stacia Kane, Caitlin Kittredge, J.F. Lewis, Richelle Mead, Kelly Meding, Nicole Peeler, Cherie Priest, Kat Richardson, Michelle Rowen, Diana Rowland, Jeanne C. Stein, Anton Strout, Jaye Wells and me again!). And finally, everyone should read the Jaz Parks series, by the late but great Jennifer Rardin, who just passed away.

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Thanks for answering my questions, Jackie! I encourage you to check out the tour as it continues tomorrow at Sarah's blog (http://sarahbear9789.blogspot.com). You can find the complete tour schedule at the Traveling to Teens website here, and Jackie's author website is here. I hope you check Hunger out!

Review (T2T): Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Book 1

Tags: YA, magical realism, mythology, anorexia

Summary

In the throes of anorexia and contemplating suicide, Lisabeth Lewis is paid an unexpected visit by Death, who tells her she is to be the new Famine, one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Lisa is incredulous: how can someone with such a hateful relationship with food be Famine? But as she travels the world on her steed and sees famine in action in heartwrenching scenes, Lisa begins to wage a war with her own inner demons as well.

Review

HUNGER is a succinct but powerful tale with mythological undertones, yet a very relevant modern topic. Jackie Morse Kessler weaves together old-style storytelling with contemporary charm to create a memorable and 100% fascinating read.

HUNGER draws on mythology, but its fairy-tale-like feel comes from much more than just its premise: it’s the way Kessler writes the story. Lisa’s conflicting emotions never feel forced: Kessler’s choice of words, their rhythm and their placement, portray that for us, so that we are never told how Lisa or we are supposed to feel. The writing thus makes you feel like you’re simultaneously within Lisa’s mind and above it, viewing everything from a magical, observant distance, the sort of reader-story distance that forms the core of ageless fairy tales.

The human characters in HUNGER are relatively straightforward, as befits their role within the fairy-tale-like feel of the story. However, Death is such a great and unique character. He’s cheeky, and has a sort of too-cool-for-his-own-good vibe going on. It puts a different spin on something that could be otherwise very heavy in the mythology and issues.

Overall, HUNGER was an incredible read. At under 200 pages, it goes by quickly, but it packs a punch, expertly combining an old-school storytelling feel with the issue of eating disorders, so relevant to many today. I will definitely be looking out for Jackie Morse Kessler’s future books!

Similar Authors
Holly Black
Marcus Zusak

Writing: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5


Cover discussion: 3.5 out of 5 - Uniquely, enticingly unisex, different, and flavorful.

Graphia / Oct. 18, 2010 / Paperback / 180pp. / $8.99

ARC picked up at BEA.

This review is part of a blog tour brought to you by Traveling to Teens. Stay close for an interview with Jackie!

Waiting on Wednesday (85)

Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different.

That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a different kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control.

A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power, and refuses to be defeated by the world. [summary from Goodreads]

I got to read Hunger, the first book in Jackie's new magical realism YA Horsemen of the Apocalypse series, for a Traveling to Teens tour, and I enjoyed it mightily. I can't wait to see how she combines the mythology/magic with the unfortunately all-too-real contemporary issue of cutting. If it's anything like Hunger, it will be incredible, for sure!

Rage will be published in paperback by Harcourt Graphia on April 8, 2011.