First off, I really loved this book. The writing style felt like I was talking to a friend and the pace was just right. Was this book perfect? No but the point isn’t to be perfect it’s to be real. It being true to yourself. That’s what I got out of this book, oh, and there was murder and revenge and love and heartbreak. Fuck yea. ( )

Once I started, I couldn’t put this book down. All Dinah wants is vengeance against Gabriel Gates, for her mother, her brother and the people of the Ozarks. Along the way, she also has to decide between loving her best friend and falling for a boy, Johnny, who saves her. The story takes place in the near future, after the Third World War, nothing sci-fi about it, except self driving cars. This was a strong #ownvoices novel, one for all HS libraries. ( )

I feel bad only doing 2 stars because I dont think was is a bad book but it kind of lost me halfway thru and I had to force myself to keep reading. I think it just lost momentum and then got too long. ( )

"He had bought everything and paid for nothing, but he would pay for her family.
She'd stop his heart. She'd take his lungs. She'd break his neck for what he'd done."

This is a powerful story of grief caused by a money hungry titan who has all the power in his hands over Dinah's community. Her family, friends, neighbors - they can all barely survive with his hand in any profits they can create.

Dinah struggles to take care of her family and puts so much weight on her shoulders. Every day is a struggle, but she loves her family and would fight to the bitter end for them.

When all of that is taken from her, she is ravaged by grief and seeks revenge, but has no care for her own survival and goes down a reckless path.

Needless to say, I was gripping my copy tight as I journeyed with her down a path of discovering her true strengths, survival skills, and love. Love for herself, for her best friend, for the one who saved her when nobody else would.

I will be reading more of Brauning's work thanks to the experience I had with Dianh's Ballad. ( )