A review by luisasm
Razorhurst by Justine Larbalestier

5.0

It was a slow burn to get into this book. The whole thing would have benefited from just the tiniest bit of exposition in the beginning. An introduction, an author's note, just something to establish when and where. I only knew what was going on because I had read the cover summary. But don't let any of that stop you! This is an excellent book that grows increasingly better as you read it, until when you finish you forget all your complaints. The characters are fantastic, everyone is complicated and interesting. The relationships are complex and important, every character has it's secrets, and the way the story is narrated makes it dynamic and never boring. It's harsh to read. The author doesn't pull any punches, with violence, prejudice, corruption, sexual abuse, racism, sexism, gang warfare. But it makes up for it with a fascinating supernatural premise and a period of history that I knew nothing about. I loved learning about it, because it seems to unbelievable, but the author's explanation at the end makes you shocked that this is so close to reality. And the number of strong female characters in here is unreal. Looking for POC and LGBTQ and strong women and all kinds of history? Read this book.