Language: R (8 swears, 1 ‘f'); Mature Content: PG-13 (passionate kissing, implied sex); Violence: PG-13 (self-harm, attempted suicide, sexual harassment)
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
15 yo Nell Strand feels numb and invisible. Her mom is busy with her older sister Mora who is institutionalized for her mental health, and her dad avoids addressing issues by focusing on work. To make matters more complex, her family line is cursed as each family member's magic is revealed when they turn 15. After her birthday, Nell’s own magic appears: her emotions are released from her as insects. When the insects appear, she feels the emotions vividly until the insects die. Then, she returns to numbness. As she struggles through school, a crush, and sexual harassment, she is forced to face her swarm and all its forms from angry wasps to hopeful dragonflies.
This novel in verse hooks you from the first page. The prose is rich with figurative language, which is fitting for the book’s overall metaphor of mental health tied into physical iterations of magic. The novel covers a range of mental health topics, perhaps too many as I wonder if they each get enough of a focus and resolution. Nonetheless, it’s a stunning work with the powerful message of facing your emotions.
Nell’s mother is Afrikaans, and her dad is English. The setting is Cape Town, South Africa.
Megan, High School Librarian
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