Peter Davidek is in eighth grade when he first visits St. Michael the Archangel High School. The school's reputation is far from shining: grossly underfunded, filled with delinquent students, religious zealots, and downtrodden kids desperate to fit in. Not to mention that the building is literally falling apart. After witnessing something especially horrible on the day of his visit, Peter’s parents shock him by mysteriously deciding to send him there. When the first day rolls around, Davidek meets and bonds with some other new freshman. Noah Stein is quick to become his friend: somewhat cynical yet not averse to a fight or a laugh, his scarred face hides a scarred past. Together the two boys face the campy villain Ms Bromine, who loves detention-giving more than life, and the scheming Father Mercedes. We also see events through the eyes of their fellow student Lorelei Pascal, a girl who seems to be good at heart but will also risk anything to fit in, as well as a horde of bullies bent on hazing and a faculty that is strangely supportive of it. If they are to survive, they might have to unlearn what they thought they knew.
I tried and tried to give this book a chance, but reading it honestly got to be like pulling teeth. It seemed as though it was part Mean Girls, part American Horror Story, with some of the protagonists being moderately dynamic and somewhat relatable. That is, except when they are driven to extreme violence and cruelty .The antagonists were clearly not written to be liked; their negative actions and influences dominate the book's tone, which may explain why I had such a difficult time enjoying it. The egotistical football player with the perfect but cruel valedictorian as his girlfriend, the teacher who hates kids and loves detentions, the bully who only bullies to feel better about himself. Breznican makes a great effort to weave in themes of teen angst and the struggle for identity, and to this end has characters frequently spell out their motivations directly during dialog. Though does get his point across, I quickly felt as if he was beating me over the head with it. I did find this book to be somewhat thought-provoking, it was anything but a feel good read. Those interested in fiction written about young adults (this book is definitely not suitable for children), might enjoy it more than I did; hopefully not everyone will find brutal youth so brutal.
I tried and tried to give this book a chance, but reading it honestly got to be like pulling teeth. It seemed as though it was part Mean Girls, part American Horror Story, with some of the protagonists being moderately dynamic and somewhat relatable. That is, except when they are driven to extreme violence and cruelty .The antagonists were clearly not written to be liked; their negative actions and influences dominate the book's tone, which may explain why I had such a difficult time enjoying it. The egotistical football player with the perfect but cruel valedictorian as his girlfriend, the teacher who hates kids and loves detentions, the bully who only bullies to feel better about himself. Breznican makes a great effort to weave in themes of teen angst and the struggle for identity, and to this end has characters frequently spell out their motivations directly during dialog. Though does get his point across, I quickly felt as if he was beating me over the head with it. I did find this book to be somewhat thought-provoking, it was anything but a feel good read. Those interested in fiction written about young adults (this book is definitely not suitable for children), might enjoy it more than I did; hopefully not everyone will find brutal youth so brutal.
