Trickster's Girl by Hilari Bell

Title: Trickster's Girl

Author: Hilari Bell

Pages:288

Genre: YA/ Dystopian

Source: Traveling to Teens

In the year 2098 America isn't so different from the USA of today. But, in a post-9/11 security-obsessed world, "secured" doesn't just refer to borders between countries, it also refer to borders between states. Teenagers still think they know everything, but there is no cure for cancer, as Kelsa knows first-hand from watching her father die.

The night Kelsa buries her father, a boy appears. He claims magic is responsible for the health of Earth, but  human damage disrupts its flow. The planet is dying.

Kelsa has the power to reverse the damage, but first she must accept that magic exists and see beyond her own pain in order to heal the planet. [via GoodReads]

I really liked the premise of this book - it's a dystopian with paranormal elements - which I found very unique and what actually seduced me into wanting to read it.  But sadly I had a hard time getting into the story.  For me, it started off really slow and I kept having a hard time picking it back up if I needed to stop reading for whatever reason.  While I did find Kelsa and Raven's journey to be interesting as well as learning about why the Earth is slowly dying, I still had a hard time connecting with the characters.  Some of the situations and reactions just didn't feel credible or relateable enough for me to actually feel any type of connection with them.  The interaction between Kelsa and Raven felt forced and while I do enjoy books where the main protagonists are not involved romantically, the lack of romance left the friendship feeling stiff.  I also had a hard time with the authors take on global warming and going green.  While I'm all for going green and saving the planet, I think her message was a bit repetitive, even preachy at times. 

I always finish a book no matter how much I have to struggle through it, but sadly, I really had to put effort into finishing this one.   I've read various other reviews to see how other fellow bloggers/readers are feeling about Trickster's Girl and I see a lot of mixed reviews.  So my final word would be enter at your own risk... you might just be one of the readers who loves it.  

My Rating: