The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Reviewer: Grace Wade-Stein

Star Rating: 5 stars

Recently adapted into a movie, The Hate U Give is a stunning bestseller about Starr Carter, a teenage black girl who lives in the predominantly poor, black neighborhood of Garden Heights and attends Williamson Prep, a private school in a neighboring affluent, white community. Starr is mostly able to keep her two worlds apart, presenting one version of herself to her white friends and boyfriend and another to her childhood friends and family, until she witnesses the shooting of her best friend by a white police officer.

The shooting turns Starr’s life upside down. She is forced to navigate her grief and stand up for Khalil as the only witness to his murder while protecting her family from retribution, both from the police and local drug lords. Ultimately, she must find her voice in a world that is doing everything it can to silence her.

Everyone should read this book. It is politically and socially relevant and manages to be alternately shattering and uplifting. It masterfully weaves together themes of adolescence, race, violence, police brutality, protection, sacrifice, love, and friendship to paint a nuanced portrait of our world’s complex issues. Readers of all backgrounds will empathize and identify with Starr’s struggle to find her voice and benefit from the perspective of this book.  

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Reviewer: Grace Wade-Stein
Star Rating: 4 stars

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is a fast-paced dystopian fantasy novel set in a world divided by blood color. Silvers rule with the help of their unique supernatural abilities while Reds are forced to find employment or be conscripted. Mare Barrow is a Red working to support her family alongside her seamstress sister Gisa while their three brothers are away at war. When a plan to pickpocket a Silver goes awry, Mare finds herself working at the Silver Palace, where she discovers her own supernatural abilities.

Mare’s discovery is a revelation that threatens to destroy the balance of power that has governed her world for centuries. Fearful of what her power might mean for their own, Silvers authorities forge a new identity for Mare as a long-lost Silver princess. In the high-stakes masquerade that ensues, Mare finds herself caught between two worlds, two princes, and two courses of action: keep up the charade and protect her family or smash the Silver regime from the inside out.

This book’s intrigue, rebellion, and betrayal made it riveting. I would recommend it to fans of fantasy and dystopian favorites such as Divergent and The Hunger Games.