Review: Teens, Dystopia, and a Journey of Self-Discovery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 20, 2014
Strikers is a great addition to the YA adventure genre. Christy’s teens are well-drawn characters with angst, a need for human contact, and the abject fear of reaching out for it and being rejected that everyone can relate to. Karas is a sympathetic protagonist, one part Cinderella, one part Alice, and one part Katniss Everdeen. We get her narrative perspective throughout, and it’s this personal connection that helps us remember those awkward teenage moments we’ve all experienced. Christy’s brilliance in bringing the story to us through her eyes is what makes the whole thing work.The plot itself pulls you forward on a journey across dystopian Texas and reminds me a little of Huckleberry Finn with its river ride elements. The adventure is exciting but never runs roughshod over character. In fact, the journey itself serves as a means for the main characters--particularly Karas--to discover what they're made of.There will undoubtedly be other books that continue the story, and I’m looking forward to what happens to Karas, Jovan, and their compadres. If you like YA adventure stories set in a well-imagined world after the fall of our own, I recommend this tale.