Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan

This book was on a list for the Tournament of Books and it seemed like a promising dystopian novel. The author herself calls it A Tale of Two Cities retold. Frankly, this book falls way short of those promises.

New York is divided between Light and Dark. Lucie was born in the Dark, but with the help of her aunt, she escaped to the Light. This high school student now is a celebrity with a rich and famous boyfriend. But, that innocent-seeming boyfriend has secrets also!

The story follows the boy from the Light, the boy from the Dark, and Lucie, who is a mix of both, through a world of magic and mayhem.

But, wait, where did this magic come from? The book explains that it just appeared and the whole world was changed. Okay, that's an easy explanation.

The story in general was interesting if you could overlook the flaws. Lucie always knew what she was doing, but then was always surprised to find that she was actually totally wrong. Surprise!

By the way - I felt like I was reading a Disney movie - all three of those main characters lost their mothers as children.

The biggest annoyance with this book was how cliched the differences between the Light and Dark were, which was emphasized in the two boys. One is super nice, rich, smart, with a bland personality; the other is poor, misunderstood, cynical, always smirking. Those cliched differences were highlighted in such quotes as: "I like mayhem and bloodshed and deviant sex acts." Yeah, guess who said that.

If you're looking for a quick and easy read that will keep you entertained at the least, this is the book for you. Otherwise, go for something else.

Rating: 2/5
Pages: 360
Borrowed from: Library
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