Saturday, May 14, 2011

Rage (Horseman of the Apocalypse 2) by Jackie Kessler: A very heartfelt review...

This women handles very serious, and scary issues that plague our youth.
Pick up your copy today at your local indie, Amazon, or B&N !

Ok *takes a deep breath* this review is very touchy for me.
So I warn you now...
It's going to be rough,
It's going to be far from flawless,
And it's going to leave me completely raw and exposed at the end.
Enter at your own risk!
Well more apporoately I'll post at MY own risk :)

Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

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 of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new 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,Rageis the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world.

This book left me feeling like the broken little girl that I once knew all to well..
so this review comes more from her than from me..


A Broken Darkfallen Review:

This book deals with an honest, brutal, and disturbing truth. But hey truth often is...disturbing that is.

Melissa Miller has always felt different, but then again what teen doesn't? It's how you handle these feelings that define you, rather you want them to or not. Unfortunately for Missy when the emotions build the only release that seems to work comes in the form of blood. For Missy this isn't about dying, no she doesn't have a desire for that. So whats the big deal when her emotional pain begins to present itself in a physical form? While some cry, or lash out at others to make the pain stop, Missy can only find salvation in the sharp blade of a razor. But those scars never go away, and it's only a matter of time before her now ex-boyfriend Adam sees them. And what happens next leads to Missy making the biggest decision of her life....

While she unexpectedly stands at Death's door....Melissa Miller is WAR!

So this review is hard for me to write. I have my reasons, and I'm sure you don't have to be a genius to figure out what those might be so I'm not gonna spell them out for you. Mrs. Kessler has a way of tackling some of the toughest, and often not dealt with, issues of a teens life while wrapping it all up nicely in a little paranormal fiction. But please do NOT think this is merely fiction, because I can assure you it's more reality than people care to admit. And that's the problem, that people can't seem to accept these things. Rather it's self-mutilation, an eating disorder, or any other number of things kids face, one thing remains the same....they are NOT alone, but they have never felt more alone. It's time we follow in Mrs. Kessler's footsteps and tackle these issues. Stop sweeping them under the rug because you can't understand, or are afraid of them. They never go away, not like that!

While this book might not be the best idea for someone who is currently a self-mutilator, mainly because it is kinda graphic and in the wrong hands may become a guide for how NOT to get caught, I Highly recommend this to any parent, sibling, friend, family member, social worker, or just anyone who has ever known someone like Missy. This will help you see what it's like to be inside the brain of someone who seeks shelter through cutting. It is truly an awakening experience. After reading this you come to realize that the term Freak in NO way applies to those who struggle with this. As a person we all deal with things differently, some good, some bad, but in the end we ALL need help. If someone you know is struggling, please help them. Don't label them because your scared, don't push them under the proverbial rug so to speak.

The lesson to learn here is simple....

There is a balance to everything.
You have to have control to maintain it.
There is a war raging inside all of us.
It's only when we let that war consume us, do we lose the balance.
It's a constant fight, but you are not alone.

Missy-"I want to hate her. I want to run from her. But instead I hide from the world and hate only myself. Hatred is easy, because, as they say, practice makes perfect.

War- "Run to me or run from me; either way, I will cut you down. This is the promise of War."


Like I said this is a hard review to write, so sorry if this sounds more like a campaign for self-injurers. I guess in most ways maybe it is. But even still, all that aside, this is a great book. You will me a better person for having read it. So do yourself a favor and pick it up!        


 ~Darkfallen~


2 comments:

  1. It is in transit to my library right this instant.

    I absolutly love books that draw off teenage pain. It makes them more real.

    Have you ever read CUT by Patricia McCormick?
    or Impulse by Ellen Hopikins?
    You'd probably like them :)

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  2. NoPe I haven't but ima look into em. These books tend to leave me feeling raw.
    I have to take breaks from these for my own safety. Lol

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