ns Terra is on her way out. She's going to graduate high school this year. She plans on going to a college over three thousand miles from home. That is, if her over controlling father doesn't get in her way. She's bent on getting out of this stifling small town. Terra isn't known for her art skills or her brains. She's known for her face. Her face with a birthmark running down accross one cheek. She covers her face with an inch of makeup, making sure no one can see what lies beneath. Then she meets Jacob, an Asian goth boy, who challenges her beliefs and shows her a new meaning to the word, "beautiful."

During the first few chapters of this book, I didn't really understand why Terra was trying to escape. Then, I was introduced to her father. Her father isn't physically abusive. He never resorts to hitting or punching Terra or her mother. Instead, he uses words as a weapon. With carefully constructed sentences, he bruises his family over and over again. Within a chapter of being introduced to this man, I absolutely hated him. How dare he wound them in such a way?

Terra was by no means perfect. She even annoyed me a few times with her indecision. However, once she met Jacob, and the real, true Terra began to reveal herself Ibegan to like her a lot more.

The writing in this book was great. Told from Terra's point of view, it really helped flesh out the reasons she reacted the way she did. The style of writing fit the story perfectly.

North of Beautiful was a great read, and one that I would most definitely recommend. I'm very happy that I took the time to read this book.

Other Reviews:
The Book Muncher
The Story Siren
Pop Culture Junkie

Posted by Melanie at 8:37 AM    

Labels: 4 stars, Justina Chen Headley, North of Beautiful