Review: Rage (The Horseman of the Apocalypse: The Rider's Quartet #2) by Jackie Kessler

Title: Rage

Author: Jackie Kessler

Series: 2nd in Horseman of The Apocalypse

Pages: 228

Published: Available now from Harcourt

ISBN: 978054744528

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description: Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different. That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control. A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world.

I Give This ...

I still love the idea behind this series.  It's a very unique way to present topics that aren't talked about very happen.

I actually really liked Missy's character.  I may not understand the need for self-mutilation, but Missy gave it a face.  How it makes her feel was very descriptive.  In the end, I felt like I really had a grasp on why Missy did it.  She really put on a brave front for the rest of the world, buy behind closed doors it was an entirely different matter.  I liked the inner dialogue's she had about the locked box, how the blade made her feel, and trying to keep herself from turning to it.

 I also really loved her as War.  It taught her a lot about who she was and how to control her pain.  It was also ok for her to feel it in the first place.  I also liked how her personal mood affected how others felt when she took the place as War.  I think my favorite parts were her interactions with the other horseman.  I really enjoyed learning about Pestilence.  

What really bothered me about this book was others reaction to Missy's cutting.    It seems the whole school know about Missy and her problem.  Only one of them seems supportive of her in any way.  They call her names and treat her not as someone who needs helps, but as an outcast because of it.  I found that odd.   What upset me the most was her soccer coach's reaction.  While I understood this reaction was what lead her finally take up the mantle of War, it was poorly done.  I disliked her being called a bad influence.  

I will finish this series and very interested to see what Pestilence does!