January Black

by Wendy S Russo

[sstaley]

One of my favorite quotes in the book was this, "Old books are like people," Matty's grandmother had told him when he was young. "They are more than the sums of the words within. They have unique histories and personalities that change with time. Each one has a spirit that attracts its kindred souls within readers."

In January Black we find a world of the future in another land/world that is similar to Earth. So much of this book is a mystery for 3/4 of the book. Slowly secrets are unraveled and the plot starts making more sense. There are some scary things that hit close to home. These people have lost their freedoms and the government has taken over control of their lives. It's interesting to see the whys behind this part of the story.

There is a nice teen romance between Matty and Iris. It felt real as their friendship grew into love.

January Black is a very well written YA novel that has a fascinating world built by Wendy Russo. It does has a slow start, but if you hang in there you are in for some mind blowing revelations near the end.