Title: The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door
Author: Karen Finneyfrock
Publisher: Viking Children’s
Publication Date: February 21, 2013
Genre: Young Adult
Reviewed by: Angie Edwards
My rating: 3/5
SUMMARY
Celia Door enters her freshman year of high
school with giant boots, dark eyeliner, and a thirst for revenge against Sandy
Firestone, the girl who did something unspeakable to Celia last year.
But then Celia meets Drake, the cool new kid from New York City who entrusts her with his deepest, darkest secret. When Celia's quest for justice threatens her relationship with Drake, she's forced to decide which is sweeter: revenge or friendship.
But then Celia meets Drake, the cool new kid from New York City who entrusts her with his deepest, darkest secret. When Celia's quest for justice threatens her relationship with Drake, she's forced to decide which is sweeter: revenge or friendship.
REVIEW
If I
had read this book a few years ago, I probably would’ve given it a five-star
rating. As it is, I’ve read too many similar books in the past couple of years
to still be impressed or affected by this type of story. I expected revenge,
but that’s not what I got.
I
appreciate the positive messages hidden in this story and how it focuses on
more than just a girl being bullied at school. What also makes it slightly
different from other such books is that it shows how revenge can sometimes
backfire and that it might not always be the best solution. Still, I wanted
Celia to get even with Sandy and Mandy (original names for two bullies,
right?), because I felt they deserved it. Yet, it seemed that The Sweet Revenge of Celia Door should’ve
more aptly been titled, The Angst-ridden
Coming-Out of Celia’s Gay Best Friend and His Obsession with a Certain
Self-help Book.
Oh,
alright, that might be a little harsh, but honestly guys, I’m rather
disappointed that the title is somewhat misleading.
Speaking
of gay besties coming out…I was not impressed by all the drama surrounding
Drake falling in love with Japhy. (Japhy????
Who names a character… Never mind). It was just too much. Drake was constantly
fretting about Japhy not coming out the same time he did, and whether Japhy has
the same feelings for him, and, and, and… It was all he could talk about THE.
ENTIRE. TIME! He carried on worse than a hormonal love-struck girl! So, that’s all I have to say about that.
Apart
from love-sick Drake, the rest of the story was okay. I like how things got
resolved at the end between Celia and her mother, and that everything wasn’t
too much of a happy ending. I don’t care for poetry at all, but I did enjoy
Celia’s poetry entries into her journal. It gives the reader a deeper insight
into her thoughts and feelings. Many times I felt sorry for her; especially
when it came to light about “the book” that nearly destroyed her life. But like
they say: all’s well that ends well.
My
final thoughts are that it’s a good book if you haven’t read many such books
before. Otherwise, it doesn’t really offer anything new, and I was glad when it
was over and I could move on to a different book that would hopefully be more engaging.
ABOUT
the AUTHOR
Karen Finneyfrock is a poet, novelist and teaching
artist in Seattle, WA. Her second book of poems, Ceremony for the Choking
Ghost, was released on Write Bloody press in 2010. Her young adult novel, The
Sweet Revenge of Celia Door, is due from Viking Children's Books, a division of
Penguin Group USA in February, 2013. In 2010, Karen traveled to Nepal as a
Cultural Envoy through the US Department of State to perform and teach poetry
and in 2011, she did a reading tour in Germany sponsored by the US Embassy.
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1 comment:
I read this last year. I was on the blog tour. I thought it was cute, but it wasn't fantastic.
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