Rage, by Jackie Morse Kessler

Missy releases her pain by cutting herself.  Her body is covered with scars, and she is shamed by those scars. She thought when she fell in love, the pain would go away, but now, her pain runs deeper than ever.  She is filled with anger, and in some ways not at all surprised to learn that she is the embodiment of War, a horseman of the apocalypse.  Will she learn to channel her power, or will she simply walk around cutting down all those who contributed to her pain?  And can she survive without the cutting?

This book, like it's predecessor, leaves the reader feeling battered, raw.  And yet, I absolutely loved it, and was sad to see the book end.  Missy's character is so real, and I think many of us have a little piece of of Missy in our souls.

The topic of teen girls cutting themselves is one that rarely discussed as frankly as it is in this book.  We see the sad, scary world of cutters as clearly as day.  There is no sugar coating here, and the book may be a little disturbing to some teen readers, but I think this book is really important for teens.  They need to know that there is hope for them.

The storyline in this book is truly unique, and I really love this series.  I can only imagine what will come next, and wait this baited breath.


I received a review copy of this as part of the Amazon Vine review program.