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By (author) Danika Stone
Format: Hardback
Publisher: St Martin's Press, New York, United States
Published: 28th May 2019
Dimensions: w 133mm h 213mm d 38mm
Weight: 415g
Interest age: From 12 years
ISBN-10: 125022165X
ISBN-13: 9781250221650
Barcode No: 9781250221650
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Aug 19th 2019, 06:33
YA Survival tale in the Canadian Wilderness
Awesome - 10 out of 10
A PE trip gone awry and two teens lost in the Canadian wilderness set the backdrop of a tale of friendship, survival and finding your voice in a world in flux in Danika Stone's third outing for Macmillan imprint Swoon Reads.

Vale Shumway and Ashton Hamid have been best friends their entire lives, they are in high school and face the typical problems of teenage life. School bullies and PE trips. On one such trip to Waterton, Alberta they manage to get lost and for the next few days have to face isolation, an inability to communicate with the outside world wildlife and other events indigenous to the Canadian wilderness.

On the way they come to a greater and deeper understanding of each other as people, which includes Vales Asexuality and her being Aromantic as well as Ash's own inner strengths and emerging maturity which the crisis forces to the fore as well as the strength to survive.

Having already read some of Danika Stone's work previously and so I came to this novel expectant of friendships that were as real as their real life counterparts and an absorbing read. I can honestly say I was not disappointed at all. I was also, unlike other YA novels I have read recently, with the story from page one.

With the tone of the narrative I found the story at times breathtaking in suspense and unsure of where the author is taking me, though I never lost trust in Stone's guidance as an author. At other times I found myself smiling or even laughing at turns of events or reactions from characters. These moments were brilliantly balanced with the overarching suspense and so it felt tense but not exhaustingly so. I truly enjoyed this book.

Alongside a suspenseful tone it is also well paced and easy to be absorbed into. The story told evoked an emotional response that some more adult novels hadn’t managed to stir in that there was very real danger and that events could go badly.

The treatment of Vale's aro/ace sexuality is also a nice addition. Not only does it make the prospect of the ever present friends to lovers trip an impossibility (yay a YA without romance) but also it's an aspect of the character that is both sensitively explored and an important part of representation in YA and literature in general that doesn't get explored nearly enough and whilst not a central theme to the story, it's great to see a character dealing with understanding that part of themselves and the pressures of trying to get family and friends to understand this part of themselves.

This is definitely a book that sticks in the mind long after reading (I read this in June and its now middle August) and in the best ways. Stone’s descriptions are vivid enough to create a sense of place, environ, danger and emotion.

I loved this book so I have given it a solid 5 stars. I recommend reading this book.