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This YA supernatural thriller is a huge leap forward in quality from Healey’s first novel, Guardian of the Dead
– and I liked Guardian. Its solid characterization, precise depiction of emotion, and the slow insinuation of evil magic into a modern New Zealand town reminded me of Margaret Mahy’s classic novel The Changeover.
Half-Maori teenager Keri likes to plan for all contingencies. But her older brother’s shocking suicide shatters her carefully organized world, leaving her grieving and baffled. Then she learns that his death is part of a pattern. Every year in her lovely tourist trap town, a teenage boy with younger siblings and no history of depression commits suicide, just like clockwork. Or someone else’s careful plan.
Joined by socially awkward Samoan teenager Sione, who is also mourning an older brother, and brash musician Janna (whose band is called Vikings to the Left), Keri begins to investigate the pattern of deaths. Each of the three main characters gets their own POV, which was well-done and added a lot to my enjoyment of the book. (It was a bit distracting that Keri’s was in first person and the other two were in third.)
In Guardian, I appreciated the inclusivity but felt that some of the execution was heavy-handed. Here, characters of various classes, races, cultures, and sexual orientations are handled in a much more natural manner, giving the book and the characters realism, richness, and depth. Another thing that bothered me in Guardian was how a number of likable characters were pushed to the side and literally not allowed by other characters to take an active part in the unfolding story. Here, everyone of importance has their own story, and demands – and gets – a part in the powerful, moving climax.
The depiction of grief was sensitive and realistic, the story was exciting, and I came to care a lot about the characters. (Sione was my favorite. What can I say, I am a sucker for shy boys.) While the general outline of the evil plot was predictable, the details of how the story unfolded were not. I was not expecting the gut-punch of a certain late reveal, though in retrospect it was quite thoroughly foreshadowed.
Spoilers welcome in comments. Don’t read if you don’t want to be spoiled.
The Shattering
.
– and I liked Guardian. Its solid characterization, precise depiction of emotion, and the slow insinuation of evil magic into a modern New Zealand town reminded me of Margaret Mahy’s classic novel The Changeover.Half-Maori teenager Keri likes to plan for all contingencies. But her older brother’s shocking suicide shatters her carefully organized world, leaving her grieving and baffled. Then she learns that his death is part of a pattern. Every year in her lovely tourist trap town, a teenage boy with younger siblings and no history of depression commits suicide, just like clockwork. Or someone else’s careful plan.
Joined by socially awkward Samoan teenager Sione, who is also mourning an older brother, and brash musician Janna (whose band is called Vikings to the Left), Keri begins to investigate the pattern of deaths. Each of the three main characters gets their own POV, which was well-done and added a lot to my enjoyment of the book. (It was a bit distracting that Keri’s was in first person and the other two were in third.)
In Guardian, I appreciated the inclusivity but felt that some of the execution was heavy-handed. Here, characters of various classes, races, cultures, and sexual orientations are handled in a much more natural manner, giving the book and the characters realism, richness, and depth. Another thing that bothered me in Guardian was how a number of likable characters were pushed to the side and literally not allowed by other characters to take an active part in the unfolding story. Here, everyone of importance has their own story, and demands – and gets – a part in the powerful, moving climax.
The depiction of grief was sensitive and realistic, the story was exciting, and I came to care a lot about the characters. (Sione was my favorite. What can I say, I am a sucker for shy boys.) While the general outline of the evil plot was predictable, the details of how the story unfolded were not. I was not expecting the gut-punch of a certain late reveal, though in retrospect it was quite thoroughly foreshadowed.
Spoilers welcome in comments. Don’t read if you don’t want to be spoiled.
The Shattering
.
