Review of Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different. That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control. A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world.

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The main thing that keep me reading this book was that I wanted to know if Missy had killed her cat or not. What? You must have typed that wrong! No, I didn't. Did she kill her cat? Well, you'll have to read it and find out.

The writing style is flows well and I found it easy to be lost in Missy's story. There's plenty of humour too, particularly from a very recognisable Death - I love him! The plot felt similar to Hunger, which I liked. I like a bit of familiarity, although this may be a negative thing for other readers.

I believe many readers will be able to relate to Missy, who self harms. The writing is quit beautiful and you can see that the author has done her research into self harm well. She doesn't gloss over it or glamorise it - it's there, it's brutal, it's honest and you have to be able to deal with that if you're going to read it.

"The world will end with neither a bang nor a whimper, but with blood. In the end, it's always blood."


The struggle between Rage and Missy was fascinating and Missy's self control is quite admirable - she could easily take the easy way out, accept Rage and destroy everything and everyone that hates her. But she doesn't and I think that's what makes her character so likeable. Instead of going all Carrie she says no. War, unfortunately, isn't going to take no for an answer.

If you've read Hunger then like me you'll be wanting to know what happened to Lisa. You do get a few glimpses of her and she appears to be older now but you don't get to learn as much about her as I was hoping. In the next book I'm hoping we get to learn Pestilence's side of the story as he's easily the most interesting and mysterious character. For me anyway, I think everyone else will be rooting for Death.


4/5