Tour: Trickster's Girl Review

Author: Hilari Bell
Release Date: January 3, 2011
Pages: 289 (E-book)
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: For review from Netgalley

In the year 2098 America isn't so different from the USA of today. But, in a post-9/11 security-obssessed world, "secured" doesn't just refer to borders between countries, it also refer to borders between states. Teenagers still think they know everything, but there is no cure for cancer, as Kelsa knows first-hand from watching her father die.

The night Kelsa buries her father, a boy appears. He claims magic is responsible for the health of Earth, but  human damage disrupts its flow. The planet is dying. Kelsa has the power to reverse the damage, but first she must accept that magic exists and see beyond her own pain in order to heal the planet.

Sadly, I felt kind of indifferent about Trickster's Girl.

It started out pretty strongly, and I liked the environmental message a lot. Sadly, though, I became bored a little more than halfway through and from there I just didn't really care that much anymore

But I didn't really not like it, either. As I said, I felt almost indifferent towards it. The characters were decent. That's it. Decent. I was intrigued by Raven, Kelsa's magical mentor, and I would've liked to get to know him better than we did. He could've been so much more than he was, I thought.

So, I guess those are pretty much my only thoughts. This review sounds kind of mean, but like I said, I didn't not like Trickster's Girl. I just I wish I'd enjoyed Trickster's Girl more, but instead it was just an average, OK read for me.

Book Report:

Plot: Not too bad. Slow moving occasionally.

Characters: Average.

Writing: Decent enough.

Ending: Rather anti-climactic, I thought, but not bad.

Kid friendly? There are a few swears, but nothing too extreme. This one's pretty safe.

Should I read it? Yeah, sure, go for it.

Overall:

Tour: Cover Interview with Trickster's Girl author, Hilari Bell

Today, I have author Hilari Bell. She'll be answering some questions regarding her the cover of her newest book, Trickster's Girl.

ARC cover

What was your initial reaction when you saw Trickster's Girl's cover?

My initial reaction was that it was very different, a bit dark, and edgier than my usual covers, but it grew on my very quickly for just those reasons. I was worried that it would fade in among all the other dark-colored covers on the shelf.

I've heard that authors have absolutely no say in their book's cover, so I'm assuming this was the case for Trickster's Girl's cover, correct?

Yes, it is--though my editors are frequently nice enough to send me cover sketches, and if there's ever something seriously wrong, I hope I could talk them into making a change.


Would you say it captures the book well?

I would--this book is a bit edgier and more contemporary than my medieval style fantasies, and the cover reflects that--and it's gorgeous!

Final cover

If you could change just one thing about your cover, what would it be?

Actually, the one thing that concerned me about the cover has been changed! The buyers at Barnes & Noble suggested changing the cover from black and mauve to black and white. But there are a lot of black and white covers out there too, so Houghton Mifflin's cover design people changed it to mauve and white--and now it really pops, and it's stunningly gorgeous. I'm delighted with it


Thanks Hilari! I appreciate it.