Trickster’s Girl
Hilari Bell
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Release Date: January 3, 2011
Pages: 288
Rating: 4.5 stars
In the year 2098 America isn’t so different from the USA of today. But, in a post-9/11 security-obssessed 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.
I really really enjoyed this book. It’s set in the future, yet I loved the way Hilari Bell mixed in a bit of fantasy with the character of Raven and the actual mission of Kelsa and Raven. It was a ton of fun to read, and great to keep guessing what would happen next.
The characters were all very well written. Kelsa was a great character – I really liked her personality. Raven was a really well written character as well and learning about him and his people was fascinating.
The plot was a bit predictable at times, but still a ton of fun to read. There were instances where I would be able to guess exactly what would happen, but the how it came to be was the best part. The plot was super creative, with nature being harmed essentially through the expansion of all the technology humans have made. I thought this was interesting and provides a great story line.
I would suggest this book to everyone. It was a super great read! It is definitely a book I can see myself pulling out and rereading.
l also felt the plot was a bit predictable at times but did enjoy this. I found the review hard to write as my opinion kept changing!