Smith, Lindsay A Darkly Beating Heart, pg. # 261. Roaring
Brook Press, 2017. $17. 99 Language: R (30 swears, 9 ‘f’)
Mature content: R
(sexual themes, nudity, severe self-harm and abuse) Violence: R (graphic murder)
Reiko’s life is spiraling out of control. Expelled from school and betrayed by
someone she gave all her trust, she is sent to work for her cousin in Japan.
However, her fresh start is ruined because the hatred towards those who have
wronged her still simmers in her heart. She swears nothing will distract her
from her revenge, but a girl from another time and a town full of secrets
surprise her and tempt her with things she never knew she wanted.
A Darkly Beating Heart takes on a
plethora of heavy topics (abuse, self-harm, murder) and then manages to throw
them by the wayside so that they seem merely placed in the narrative for shock
value. The main character is unlikable, which would be fine if she were penned
as a complex human being with more than one interest. However, this was not the
case. The heroine came off as a villainous caricature with no redeeming
qualities, and I am hard-pressed to believe that the quick resolution provided
for this story was enough to restore Reiko from her frankly psychotic thoughts
and actions. Pair that with the grueling repetitiveness and gratuitous foul
language, and I’m afraid this book does not get my endorsement. I will say
though, that the historical details were very well researched and seemed true
to the time period.
MS, HS- OPTIONAL. Student Reviewer: Jewels, grade 12
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