4.5 Stars | Through a Seattle Looking Glass

Angelina (Angie)’s life is instantly changed on Prom night. Her best friend Lizzie is caught sleeping with her boyfriend. Pretty and popular cheerleader Angie – the victim of the biggest scandal at Verity High School. The ultimate betrayal between girlfriends is the only the beginning. After the weekend fun and drama, four little letters appear in black permanent marker on Lizzie’s locker – SLUT. Unable to bring herself to speak to Lizzie, Angie fades into the background as a spectator to witness as this word grows all over her locker. It continues to spread to her backpack, notebooks and etched like wallpaper onto her car.

The fascination was supposed to fade, but Lizzie kills herself leaving only behind her diary for Angie to sort through. The word SUICIDE appears in Lizzie’s handwriting above SLUT. Angie becomes obsessed with discovering who has written these words, the catalyst to her best friend’s death. The truth can be more painful than reality and Angie must live with her choices. In the matters of the heart in high school there is more than just what everyone sees.

The S-Word is brutal, but so brilliant in it’s depiction of modern High School drama. Angie is essentially the popular girl that everyone loves to hate, but through her story readers grow to learn about the insecure girl that rose to be a Princess Bee. She’s real with flaws and passion. Angie’s voice is amazing. She’s harsh and cruel and I loved everything she said. It’s hard to explain unless you give this book a read.

Although this novel deals with sensitive topics, it’s so honest that’ll you’ll be hooked from the first chapter. I loved that this wasn’t about romance and that this also isn’t a series. It’s a breathe of controversial air that will have you reliving those painful high school days but will also be able to shed some light as to why people act the way they do. Everyone has secrets. The S-Word is a brilliant set of words. Well written and realistic to a fault this is a stand out for the Young Adult genre.

This book was provided by the publisher Simon and Schuster from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the author Chelsea Pitcher for book! This book will be published May 7^th. Buy your copy in advance today!

Seventeen-year-old Penryn used to live in what was known as California. Six weeks ago she was concerned with makeup and teenage angst. Now it’s fight for survival. Food is scarce, safe shelter unheard of and above all else; watch the skies. The skies are the keepers of the danger that rip off limbs: Angels.

All Penryn tried to do was keep her seven-year-old paralysed sister Paige safe. Together with their schizophrenic mother they fled their home for a new hiding place. It wasn’t supposed to be easy, but they didn’t think a group of angels would fall to the ground, trying to execute an archangel. One false sound and Paige is abducted. Gone. Taken away in the sky.

Penryn will do anything to find her sister, even if it means saving a dying angel. It’ll take going into the lion’s den and seeking help from the angelic demon himself to bring her family together.

This isn’t your traditional Angelic story. The tales of angels being godly and kind are transformed into the opposite. Instead they are evil beings that are unsure of why they are on Earth, this story only gets more interesting as each page is turned. This is a totally surprising read and as one progresses through the chapters the better it gets. Penryn reads a bit younger than seventeen, where the rest of book follows along general fiction.

For a Young Adult read it’s also startlingly grown up. Violence is present and shockingly adult. For being post-apocalyptic, Ee has hit the nail on the head with how humanity loses all aspects of right and wrong. Yet, there is also hope in this novel, on a scale that even Penryn is surprised to see. I really enjoyed this book, but I’d recommend this to older readers. I loved changing the Angel theme from good to evil, it’s not something I expected and there is lots of room for the story to grow. I patiently await the second book!