Publishers Weekly
07/31/2017
Posing as cousins, Sarah and James hide their true feelings to survive among the itinerant jimadors cutting maguey in New Mexico. An accident forces them to flee to a Texas ranch called the Real Marvelous, but their usual con job starts to backfire, as if the ghosts of their past are finally catching up to them. A vein of superstition courses through the tale, cut with stark realities, raw descriptions, and plenty of grit. Mabry (A Fierce and Subtle Poison) doesn’t revel in the brutality and blood spilled, nor does she shy from their place in the reality of ranch life. The depth of Sarah’s despair as she is broken by the desert and the weight of her losses—her dead sister and James’s love, among them—is palpable in her narration, peeling back layers of her story through memories that shape her character and explain her relationships and reactions. But an abrupt twist of fate in the final pages leads too easily to a nearly happy ending, robbing the story of some of its magnitude. Ages 14–up. Agent: Claire Anderson-Wheeler, Regal Hoffmann & Associates. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s LiteratureAn Amazon.com Best Books of 2017: Teens & Young AdultA Blue Ribbon Book of the BCCB A 2017 Booklist Editor's Choice BookExpo's Editor's YA Buzz Panel Pick A Fall 2017 Kids' Indie Next List Pick “Mabry’s powerful descriptions haunt, and her sentences pierce.” —The Boston Globe* “In aching, luminous prose, Mabry crafts a story impossible to forget, infused with southwestern folklore and magical realism . . . A gripping, fable-like story of a love ferocious enough to destroy and a world prepared to burn with it.” —Booklist, starred review * “Presents a fierce new world with high stakes, where complicated romantic relationships among various characters linger beyond the end of the book.” —School Library Journal, starred review * “The grit and dust can almost be felt on the pages through Mabry’s evocative, searing prose; the increasing humiliation of the fieldhands and their hopelessness makes the tension nearly suffocating, and Old Testament allusions give the book a further sense of doom.” —Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, starred review “Mabry’s second novel is a gracefully written, mysterious, sometime painful romance that will draw readers into the unique setting immediately.” —VOYA, starred review “Walks dark and dances romantic . . . Mabry’s pairing of natural environment and magic realism is striking and effective.” —The Center for Fiction: Junior Edition “[An] evocative, dystopic fable.” —Bustle “Mabry has established herself as a master of fabulist sleight of hand, and this sophomore effort won’t disappoint.” —B&N Teen “A vein of superstition courses through the tale, cut with stark realities, raw descriptions, and plenty of grit.” —Publishers Weekly “The author’s prose is rich and lyrical.” —Kirkus Reviews “Mabry's lyrical writing sizzles with the same heat as the relentless desert sun. The setting of All the Wind in the World is refreshingly unique, but the main character’s feelings of love and longing are universal. Remarkable.” —April Genevieve Tucholke, author of Wink Poppy Midnight PRAISE FOR A FIERCE AND SUBTLE POISON: "A chilling mystery and a heartbreaking meditation on love, longing and sacrifice . . . A Fierce and Subtle Poison will get into your blood." —Laura Ruby, author of Bone Gap
"A breathtaking story in which myths come to frightening life and buried wishes might actually come true." —Nova Ren Suma, author of The Walls Around Us and Imaginary Girls * "This is a coming-of-age story set against the mystic and the tragic, and it will likely leave a mark on readers for days." —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review "A stunning urban fantasy novel brimming with magical realism, fairytales and folklore, this book will stick with you. Mabry is definitely an author to watch." —PasteMagazine.com "Mabry smoothly joins dreamy, fever-induced scenes with the lore of “la ciguapa,” a beautiful creature that leads men to insanity or death with a kiss, and her atmospheric ending guarantees goose bumps." —Publishers Weekly "The author steeps her debut novel in compelling Caribbean folklore and a lush, evocative setting." —Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
★ 08/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Mabry crafts a strong romantic arc set at The Real Marvelous, a maguey ranch rumored to be cursed in the magically realistic Southwest Texas desert. Sarah Jacqueline Crow and James Holt end up at the strange farm following a violent dust storm, and Sarah's involvement in the accidental death of a maguey foreman elsewhere. Considered outlaws, the two perilously hide their identities and their passionate relationship, and with "hard hearts," labor long hours to earn and steal their way to a hopeful future. James has the quick ability to win card games and the affections of unsuspecting women, which Sarah begrudgingly encourages as their ticket out of poverty. But will these "cousins" go too far at The Real Marvelous—James with the rich landowner's sickly daughter and Sarah with the spoiled younger sister? This first-person narrative draws readers into Sarah's memories and her passionate nature, which are her strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, the gritty lure of the harsh desert with its secrets and broken dreams is described in rich prose. This sophomore novel presents a fierce new world with high stakes, where complicated romantic relationships among various characters linger beyond the end of the book. VERDICT An excellent choice for all YA shelves.—Ruth Quiroa, National Louis University, Lisle, IL
Kirkus Reviews
2017-08-02
In a dangerous, post-apocalyptic America, Sarah Jac and her boyfriend, James, keep their relationship a secret as they work at a mysterious farm. After environmental collapse, the western half of North America is desert. Seventeen-year-old Sarah Jacqueline Crow, aka "Sarah Jac" (who's mixed-race), and fellow orphan James Holt (who's white) specialize in picking the maguey plant for violent overseers and profit-hungry ranch owners whose harvests turn into pulque, mescal, and tequila. After a fatal accident during a dust storm, Sarah Jac is accused of murder, and the two stow away on a train that leads them to the Real Marvelous, a ranch in Texas that's rumored to be cursed. To protect themselves, Sarah Jac and James pretend to be cousins, fearing that if they're open about their love, they'll expose themselves to blackmail or worse. Soon, Sarah Jac is commanded to provide equestrian lessons to the owner's younger daughter, Bell, while James is commissioned to work in the big house as a groundskeeper—and ends up catching the eye of Bell's sickly but beautiful older sister, Farrah. A complicated series of plagues, prophecies, and love triangles ensues. The author's prose is rich and lyrical, but the worldbuilding is lacking, leaving readers wondering about details rather than immersed in the story. In a reverse of most romantic story arcs, the love story goes from initially swoonworthy to deeply unsatisfying. Mabry's mix of magical realism and dystopia doesn't live up to its promising start. (Science fiction. 14-17)
