Author: Marcus Sedgwick


Thursday, March 30, 2017

Timely and Important: Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick

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I received this book for free from Roaring Brook Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Timely and Important: Saint Death by Marcus SedgwickSaint Death by Marcus Sedgwick
Published by Roaring Brook Press on April 25th, 2017
Genres: Contemporary, YA
Source: Roaring Brook Press
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four-stars

A propulsive, compelling, and unsparing novel set in the grimly violent world of the human and drug trade on the US-Mexican border.

On the outskirts of Juarez, Arturo scrapes together a living working odd jobs and staying out of sight. But his friend Faustino is in trouble: he's stolen money from the narcos to smuggle his girlfriend and her baby into the US, and needs Arturo's help to get it back. To help his friend, Arturo must face the remorseless world of drug and human traffickers that surrounds him, and contend with a murky past.

Hovering over his story is the unsparing divinity Santa Muerte, Saint Death--and the relentless economic and social inequalities that haunt the border between Mexico and its rich northern neighbor. Crafted with poetry and cinematic pace and narrated with cold fury, Saint Death is a provocative tour de force from three-time Printz Award honoree Marcus Sedgwick.

Saint Death is one of those books you are going to want to hurl across the room, not because you hate it but because its too painful. Or you could do what Joey does and put scary books in the freezer for another day. The release of the book is so timely and I hope that it will reach the hands of many because it is such an important book. Right now, the conversation surrounding immigration is one of the most politically charged ones. People feel like immigrants are ruining their lives and that the answer is to throw up metaphorical and literal walls between countries. To this I respond with:

I am going slightly off topic and that’s fine because Saint Death is a book that is going to start conversations (and it actually does go into the idea of first world countries creating immigrants.) In fact, it’s probably going to win some awards and that’s cool because teens need to be having these conversations just as much as any other demographic. They themselves or people they know are going to be impacted by the changes happening in the world right now.

Anyway, Saint Death is a book about immigration. It is set in Mexico and tells the story of Arturo, who has agreed to help his friend earn money he stole to pay for someone to help his family cross the border back (I AM SORRY ABOUT THAT LONG SENTENCE.) What follows is a complicated journey into human minds and egos but also the world. The world, as we know (or if you don’t know, SPOILER ALERT), is a terrible place and the book explores that to a large extent. It explores the complicated relationships between Mexico and its much richer, northern neighbor. We get to see how the American capitalism dream has ruined lives in Mexico and we get to see how the American government has had a hand in ruining lives as well. Sedgwick has clearly put a lot of research into this novel which I am glad for because this is a story that needs to be told and while its unfortunate we cannot have more #ownvoices stories doing it, I am glad that Sedgwick treats the subject with respect.

I also love that he incorporated how he incorporated Spanish into the book. Its done so seamlessly and beautifully. There are no italicized bits that make the Spanish stand apart from the English. The two languages in the novel blend together to create something beautiful and magical.

Sedgwick’s incorporation of religion within the novel is important but also done really well. I never felt like I was being preached at and I loved that he simultaneously respected these religious beliefs while also keeping in mind the parts of his audience who might not share those same beliefs.

Sedgwick is a master of this craft and his words bounce off the pages of this book. Saint Death is a thought-provoking book and one I hope everyone will take the time to read. If you also want to read an #ownvoices immigration story, The Secret Side of Empty by Maria E. Andreu would be a good place to start.

four-stars

4 Hot Espressos

Review: The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Segdwick

Review: The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Segdwick

Posted by on 12/15/2014 • 20 Comments

This is one of those books that I really have no clue how to review. The writing was beautiful and lyrical, and the stories were intriguing and kept me interested, but I feel like maybe I wasn’t smart enough for this book. Now, I’m not a stupid person (I don’t think anyways), but I just didn’t get it. I liked how we start way back in time with the first story, and progress through time and even into the future in the next three. I enjoyed seeing how each previous story tied into the next. I just didn’t quite get it all. I can’t really explain it. I understood what the spiral means and signifies, but how the stories were told had me scratching my head.

The first story…

Review: She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick

Review: She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick

Posted by on 03/27/2014 • 14 Comments

Last year I read Marcus Sedgwick’s Midwinterblood and while I wasn’t the biggest fan of the way the story unfolded I was a fast fan of the writing.  Upon seeing that he had a more contemporary tale coming out this year I was anxious to get my hands on it.  While She Is Not Invisible isn’t the most action packed novel I have ever read it is incredibly thought provoking and a story that I just could not put down.

We meet Laureth Peak as she is trudging through a London airport with her younger brother and his stuffed raven, Stan.  She is trying to convince herself that she is doing the right thing and that she is not abducting her younger sibling.  Through some well done flashbacks we see…

Review: White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick

Posted by on 02/25/2013 • 31 Comments

White CrowMarcus Sedgwick Genre: YA HorrorPublication date: September 18th 2012by Square Fish (Macmillan)

You or your Alt? Only one will survive.

Some secrets are better left buried; some secrets are so frightening they might make angels weep and the devil crow.

Thought provoking as well as intensely scary, White Crow unfolds in three voices. There’s Rebecca, who has come to a small seaside village to spend the summer, and there’s Ferelith, who offers to show Rebecca the secrets of the town . . . but at a price. Finally, there’s a priest whose descent into darkness illuminates the girls’ frightening story. White Crow is as beautifully written as it is horrifically gripping.

-A copy was provided by Macmillan for review-

With its creepy cover and synopsis, I…