APRIL 2019 - AudioFile
Narrator Kelby Keenan gives an enthusiastic performance as Ella Black in this mystery for older teens. The first-person story is peppered with extremes of emotion. Ella Black, a 17-year-old privileged Londoner, has the perfect life until her parents suddenly depart England, with Ella in tow, and travel to Brazil, saying that her father has a job there. Ella soon learns this is a lie, but she doesn’t know why her parents aren’t telling her the truth. Keenan creates a controlled intensity of emotion in scene after scene as she moves through this story of love, self-discovery, and even death. Teens will identify with Ella’s emotions even if her circumstances are extreme. E.E.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
School Library Journal
02/01/2019
Gr 9 Up—As far as adolescents go, Ella Black is relatively stable. She maintains an above average GPA, has lots of friends (including a best friend that has been by her side most of her childhood), and a boyfriend she loves. There is one little secret Ella hides from everyone—including her family. When she loses touch with reality she becomes someone unstable and dangerous. When her parents suddenly take her away from foggy London and settle her in tropical Rio de Janeiro, she uncovers a history about herself that explains her dark side and leaves her no other choice than to run from everyone and everything she's ever known. Barr takes her readers inside the mind of a very troubled young woman. Failing to effectively build on Ella's inner monologue, this first-person narrative is repetitive and confusing. The character development falls short with every other person in the story save Ella, who comes across as annoying and selfish. Barr weaves in a love story midway through the book that is unrealistic and a distraction from the problems Ella is already dealing with. The story's salvation is through its clever references to classic literature as well as pop culture. Unfortunately, it is not enough to keep Ella's story interesting. VERDICT A novel with a complex idea that doesn't live up to its premise. Limited purchase.—Davia Schmidt, Queens Public Library, NY
APRIL 2019 - AudioFile
Narrator Kelby Keenan gives an enthusiastic performance as Ella Black in this mystery for older teens. The first-person story is peppered with extremes of emotion. Ella Black, a 17-year-old privileged Londoner, has the perfect life until her parents suddenly depart England, with Ella in tow, and travel to Brazil, saying that her father has a job there. Ella soon learns this is a lie, but she doesn’t know why her parents aren’t telling her the truth. Keenan creates a controlled intensity of emotion in scene after scene as she moves through this story of love, self-discovery, and even death. Teens will identify with Ella’s emotions even if her circumstances are extreme. E.E.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
