Thursday, October 30, 2014

Review: Kiss of Broken Glass by Madeline Kuderick @harperteen

Author: Madeline Kuderick
Title: Kiss of Broken Glass
Publication: September 9, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Contemporary
Pages: 224 pp.
Source: Publisher

Synopsis
Madeleine Kuderick’s gripping debut is a darkly beautiful and lyrical novel in verse, perfect for fans of Sonya Sones and Laurie Halse Anderson. Kiss of Broken Glass pulses with emotion and lingers long after the last page.

In the next seventy-two hours, Kenna may lose everything—her friends, her freedom, and maybe even herself. One kiss of the blade was all it took to get her sent to the psych ward for seventy-two hours. There she will face her addiction to cutting, though the outcome is far from certain.

When fifteen-year-old Kenna is found cutting herself in the school bathroom, she is sent to a facility for mandatory psychiatric watch. There, Kenna meets other kids like her—her roommate, Donya, who’s there for her fifth time; the birdlike Skylar; and Jag, a boy cute enough to make her forget her problems . . . for a moment.




"Just one cut to feel alive..."
" Just one cut and you can breathe."
When I began reading this book, it reminded me of Anderson's book Wintergirls and I could see similarities between Kenna and the main character in that book. The need for love and acceptance rings true in this book and that one. Kenna hides her cutting but she also wants someone to notice that she's not alright. She's always been an outsider, so when she meets Rennie, she feels apart of something. Her first cut seals the deal, she feels a rush and can't stop her need for that next high. 
" Purging all the broken bits out of me 
like a tsunami washing debris to the shore"

" I feel the calm,
the bliss,
the sheer weightlessness of zero worry...

And I want this feeling to last forever."
Kenna's ousted in the school bathroom and ends up in a facility where they keep her for a few days to help her and to make sure she won't harm herself more. She meets another girl like her named Skylar, who in a way helps her begin to see things a little differently. I liked Kenna and understood her struggle and her want to belong. Even in just a matter of days she changes but it the war she has between wanting to fit in and being strong enough to stand alone as her own person without someone else influencing her. The story's written in verse and flows so well that I really didn't notice but it paints the picture of Kenna's internal battle so perfectly. I could actually feel her addiction. Overall, the characters and story are realistic and true. The writing is beautiful and quick, I flew through it within a couple of hours. This is a story that will make you really step into the life of the character and come out with a completely alternate perspective on depression and cutting.




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