Due to my infrequent association with middle-grade fiction, I have very minimal expectations once I realise I am reading one. I do not read the blurb of a book once I have queued it into my reading for thrills. This is one book which tackles quite desperate situations, prejudices, all the while not talking down to the audience.
Harbour is waiting; she has instructions from her father to hunker down in Canada and wait for his arrival. She has been trained by him and is ‘odd’ by comparison with other kids of her age. The guiding light that she is unaware she needs comes in the form of a homeless girl who left home years ago. The content is sad for the most part, but there are twists hinted at which are never quite the expected ones when the revelations come around.
There is a lot of story within fewer pages, and the author’s narrative skill kept me invested. It is probably too harsh for a much younger audience, but teens could read, learn from and enjoy it. Some events seem a little far-fetched but suit the story and therefore its presence(s) can be accepted.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
Superfluous Reading 