You Must Not Miss

As the reader, you enter the mind of Margaret, or as she prefers, Magpie. Witness her unraveling life and feel the despair and anger that begins to consume her after her home and school life fall apart. Magpie retreats to a journal, writing about a land called Near where she can always be happy. Soon you will start to question what is really happening in reality and what Magpie believes to be real.

The affects of infidelity, alcoholism, and sexual assault are explored through Magpie. The book does not shy away from these topics, rather embracing them fully and in painful detail. I thought I would have a hard time, but the way Leno writes with darkly poignant lyricism sucked me into the story, becoming a raging page turner.

Like Horrid, the ending is unpredictable and oh so darkly satisfying!! There is no neat little bow; instead youre left to figure out what happened throughout the story, which I enjoyed. Its definitely worth a reread.

So…This book definitely missed the mark for me. Not because the writing was poor, because Lenos writing was actually very good in this book, but more so because I had a very hard time understanding the purpose of the story being told. The book started in one direction and then completely shifted halfway through to a very bizarre storyline. I did not like Magpie as a character at all and found myself wishing Ben could be in every scene because he was by far the best part of the book. I think maybe theres supposed to be a deeper meaning behind the ending of the book but it completely went over my head and I found myself very confused by its conclusion. Im disappointed that this was not a win for me because that cover is STUNNING and I love everything about it but it just did not click with me.

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Katrina Leno doesn’t invite you to gently step into Magpie’s world, she grabs hold and jerks you under for total immersion. Her line about sadness growing limbs and walking away from Magpie resonated so deeply as the true face of grief. It IS a thing with power and Ms. Leno illustrates how vicious, how real, how individual it is for every person. The issues surrounding Magpie are a reality for people everywhere and the revenge fantasy that she creates are surely the fondest wish of those who suffer the same issues. Maggie is not a warm, fuzzy protagonist. She is deeply flawed; she’s callous and cruel to those who do really care for her. But she is a crystal clear picture of the mental anguish suffered by victims of crimes, family members of alcoholics and every teen who has been bullied.

Excellent writing, beautifully vivid – Ms. Leno has gained a new fan, can’t wait to read the rest of her novels.

So excited that it came with this cover! While I like the premise of the book and look forward to reading it, the cover art is what sold me. Arrived in great condition, no dents or tears.

Update: I really enjoyed this book, though I definitely wish it was longer. It’s well written and nicely paced. I was hoping there would be more when it came to how Near affected the real world and how she planned her revenge but overall I’d recommend it.

A must read. A beautifully poignant experience of the pain body.

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