Thanks to HMH Galleys from NetGalley for letting me read this book.
TRICKSTER’S GIRL by Hilari Bell
Publication Date: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children on January 3, 2011
Rating: 
Summary: 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.
I love the concept of this book, but I couldn’t quite get into it. It was not quite what I was expecting. I did not think that the element of magic would play such a big role in this book. I couldn’t wrap my head around two genres colliding: science fiction and fantasy.
Furthermore, I wasn’t a fan of the narrator’s voice. I was not able to empathize with Kelsa’s situation or the loss of her father. I hate to say it, but I just couldn’t get myself to care about her story no matter how much I wanted to. Raven sounds like someone who is really attractive. I feel like I should be drawn to him, but I did not feel anything for him either.
The book is a really quick and easy read and I was able to breeze through it. Unfortunately, I did not find myself drawn into the story. Usually, I love fantasy and science-fiction books, but the two genres did not work for me in this story. I think that this book would have been a lot better if it just stuck to one genre instead of trying to do both. Bell has great ideas about a post-9/11 world, but I felt that it was sullied by all this talk of magic. I can’t help but think how this book would have turned out if Kelsa tried to reverse the damage on our dying planet, minus the magic.
I really thought that I was going to enjoy this book, but as much as I tried, I did not.
Other Reviews:
Parajunkee’s View
Whoa, that plot summary was crazy awesome. It’s really too bad it didn’t live up to expectations, though. Combining those two genres can’t be easy, but it’s definitely intriguing! Thanks for the honest review. (: