'Dragonfly Girl' is the YA debut from Marti Leimbach, the bestselling author of titles such as 'The Man from Saigon,' 'Daniel Isn't Talking,' and 'Dying Young,' the latter of which was her first book.. made into a film starring Julia Roberts. What a way to start a career in writing!
While 'Dragonfly Girl' is her first YA novel, due to her experienced hand in the industry, it's absolutely fluid. A science-based thriller, the story focuses on a brilliant teen named Kira Adams. Though she struggles with some school subjects, her mind works like a well-oiled machine when she has equations in front of her.
At home, her widowed mom is very ill.. and that leaves Kira trying to manage the household and their ever-crushing debts. At school, she's awkward and shy, bullied by other students, and just trying to keep her head down as much as possible.
When she wins an international science award, she draws the attention of a number of powerful people both in and out of the science community. But some of those people are incredibly dangerous and caught up in the spotlight of acclaim, Kira may discover too slowly which she can trust.
Admittedly, in the first two-thirds of the novel, I have never been so engaged in a story. This was a girl I could relate to in a unique way. She's able to rise through the ranks of her chosen profession with ease, despite lacking certain things that are expected. Those around her are baffled, even jealous.. at how easily she succeeds without the experience they have worked for years to gain.
Actually, that's my favorite part of this story. Leimbach somehow manages to capture and convey a meteoric rise that society says shouldn't be possible. Kira thinks little of what she lacks at first, she just gives it a try. Only after winning the contest, does that doubt begin to creep in.. and even then, it's not about her abilities.. it's about the reactions those around her may have upon realizing.
In truth, I wish the story had continued along this trajectory for my personal taste, but I recognize that such a move would have limited the scope far too much. While I felt like the turns taken were unnecessary and even a bit over the top for me, not because they're unreasonable possibilities.. but rather because everything combined together felt extremely unlikely, the plot twists did take it to new dimensions.
As for the characters, Kira is kind of adorable and Lauren is a really good, loyal friend. Again, tying together everything about Lauren makes her seem a bit out of this world, but suspension of disbelief engaged.. she's amazing. Dmitry was probably my favorite. Quite quickly his voice and his mannerisms developed in my mind as I read him. He was the most visceral for me and as such, I couldn't get enough of his appearances.. disheveled as they may be.
Plenty of intrigue and surprises make the book a page-turner. Overall, though Kira swings through a somewhat unlikely social learning curve very quickly toward the end, I still deeply enjoyed the journey and couldn't recommend the book highly enough.
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)