From the Publisher
This satisfying feminist tale is so fierce… An explosive thriller that is all too timely in the #MeToo era.” — Kirkus Reviews
“There is fun to be had between the action-packed training sequences [and] dashes of romance, but Coates’ main message is about trauma, abuse, who deserves an opportunity for redemption, and who gets to decide… Enjoyably over the top, with some great ethical questions to explore.” — ALA Booklist
“Mindy McGinnis’s The Female of the Species meets Ally Carter’s “Gallagher Girls” in this thriller with deeper themes about grief and justice. A perfectly paced thriller…this timely page-turner has a strong hook and will not sit on shelves for long.” — School Library Journal
“The Black Coats provide[s] pure satisfaction with the idea of fighting back against misogyny and sexism… a relevant read in the #metoo era.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Praise for Queen of Hearts: “Oakes continues to weave literary magic as she pulls you down the rabbit hole into a Wonderland like you’ve never read before.” — NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Chanda Hahn
Praise for Queen of Hearts: “Fans of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will enjoy the twists Oakes gives to familiar characters. Heart-stopping action makes the pages fly, and Dinah’s struggle to stay true to herself amid impossible expectations resonates.” — Publishers Weekly
Praise for Queen of Hearts: “This latest in fairy tales retold makes the classic villain less villainous by showing her tenderhearted backstory.” — Booklist
Praise for Queen of Hearts: “Every good villain deserves an origin story, and Oakes offers a fascinating glimpse into the mad queen’s complex and heartbreaking past. The novel offers some wonderful reinventions of Carroll’s classic, and fans of Alice’s more sinister elements will appreciate Oakes’ macabre touches.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Booklist
Praise for Queen of Hearts: “This latest in fairy tales retold makes the classic villain less villainous by showing her tenderhearted backstory.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
The Black Coats provide[s] pure satisfaction with the idea of fighting back against misogyny and sexism… a relevant read in the #metoo era.
ALA Booklist
There is fun to be had between the action-packed training sequences [and] dashes of romance, but Coates’ main message is about trauma, abuse, who deserves an opportunity for redemption, and who gets to decide… Enjoyably over the top, with some great ethical questions to explore.
NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Chanda Hahn
Praise for Queen of Hearts: “Oakes continues to weave literary magic as she pulls you down the rabbit hole into a Wonderland like you’ve never read before.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
The Black Coats provide[s] pure satisfaction with the idea of fighting back against misogyny and sexism… a relevant read in the #metoo era.
Booklist
Praise for Queen of Hearts: “This latest in fairy tales retold makes the classic villain less villainous by showing her tenderhearted backstory.
NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Chanda Hahn
Praise for Queen of Hearts: “Oakes continues to weave literary magic as she pulls you down the rabbit hole into a Wonderland like you’ve never read before.
School Library Journal
12/01/2018
Gr 8 Up{amp}mdash;Mindy McGinnis's The Female of the Species meets Ally Carter's "Gallagher Girls" in this thriller with deeper themes about grief and justice. Thea Soloman's junior year has been spent running track and grieving for her cousin Natalie until she gets a mysterious invitation. The secret group is called The Black Coats. They are dedicated to the punishment of those who hurt women and they want Thea as a trainee. In return for participation in Balancings, which range from blackmail to beatings, Thea is promised justice for Natalie. As she is drawn deeper in the group, she learns that the Black Coats are not what they seem and that justice is never simple. Thea has a chance to make things right, but not without giving up knowing the truth about Natalie's murder. This is a perfectly paced thriller, even stronger for Thea's grief remaining real and present despite the continuous action. Thea is a complex protagonist who has a clear and relatable motivation, making it much easier to buy into the secret society of women vigilantes. The female friendships far outshine the rather quick-moving romance, easily the weakest part of the book. While there is a fair amount of violence, it's present to serve the plot and themes rather than for shock value. VERDICT This timely page-turner has a strong hook and will not sit on shelves for long. Recommended for all libraries.{amp}mdash;Elizabeth Saxton, Tiffin, OH
Kirkus Reviews
2018-11-07
A grieving teen joins up with a sophisticated vigilante sisterhood.
Austin, Texas, high school junior and talented runner Thea Soloman is still grieving after the murder of her cousin and best friend, Natalie. When Thea is invited to join a secret group called the Black Coats, she finds new meaning. Thea and her teammates are trained to take vengeance on men who have wronged women and gotten away with it, with the promise of exacting revenge of their own. Thea becomes consumed by the Black Coats and also finds love with handsome fellow student Drew Porter. But soon the dangerous missions, called Balancings, blur the line between justice and torture, and Thea soon discovers the Black Coats are much more than they seem. Readers must suspend disbelief to allow for the existence of a decades-old secret society of teen harbingers of vengeance who have largely managed to get away with so much for so long, but this satisfying feminist tale is so fierce they likely won't care. Thea is biracial (her mother is black and her father white), Drew is white, and most supporting characters, except for one Black Coat of Middle Eastern descent, are assumed white. Oakes (War of the Cards, 2017, etc.) asks readers to seriously consider the sometimes-destructive nature of grief as well as justice, vengeance, and the many moral shades of gray between the two.
An explosive thriller that is all too timely in the #MeToo era. (Thriller. 13-18)
