READING: Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler (ARC)

Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Publication date: April 18th, 2011
Published by: Harcourt Graphia
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 5/5

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

"Thou art War.Thou art the Red Ridder of the Apocalypse. Rock on."

While Hunger introduces us to Famine, through Rage, we get to know War, a brand new War.Missy, a high school girl, a soccer player, an ex girlfriend.Missy, who sometimes wants to forget everything and be lost in her own oblivion and denial with the help of her little friend, the blade.Missy likes...no.Wants...no.HAS to use the blade in order to cut herself off from the world.She just has to.

Until Death comes knocking at her door.Literally.

There is nothing,NOTHING,I didn't like about Kessler's Rage.It was everything I wanted it to be and more!It was raw,bloody and painfully brilliant!

Well, I've got to hand it to Death.He sure knows how to pick 'em!

In my opinion, Missy made the perfect War.A respectable War, an admirable one.She embraced the pain and made it her own, instead of just giving in to it, which would have been the easiest and most painless way out.She decided that the most efficient way to stop War as Kessler so perfectly put it, is "by making peace".

It was a despicable thing what her classmates did to her, no question about it.They deserved nothing more that her wrath and vengeance.And she could just  very easily destroy them all, giving them more than a taste of their own medicine while she basked in their misery and demise.

She didn't, though.She chose the hard way and decided that by saving them, she was saving herself.Or at least she took a very big first step towards that.

My hat's off to her and every girl or boy who realises that there are more important things in life than the ones that make you hurt yourself in order to make them go away.

To say that Kessler's writing was brilliant, would be an understatement!Having read Hunger, I expected nothing less and I was not disappointed."Wow, I wish I could write like her!" was all that went through my head when reading Rage, while I looked dreamily at my computer screen.
Amazing!

I didn't add a lot of the story in my review because the book doesn't come out till April 2011 and I don't want to spoil it for you guys.

Just do yourselves a favour: read this book!I guarantee it will blow your mind!


If you're interested in more information about self-injury, try Secret Shame http://www.palace.net/llama/psych/self.html


DISCLAIMER: This book was given to me from NetGalley, free of charge.