Audacious by Gabrielle Prendergast

Pages: 327
Intended Audience: Mature Teens
Genre: Book in Verse / Social Issues
Notes for Parents: Contains coarse language and mature content.

The Back Cover

Wrong hair.
Wrong body.
Wrong clothes.
Wrong attitude.
Nothing is simple for Ella. Not family. Not friends. Not school. And especially not romance. Ella can’t do anything right, except draw. But even her art is wrong—and more dangerous than she could have imagined.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This novel is written in verse. There’s a sequel called Capricious.

What’s good?

This novel, written in verse, in an engaging story about a girl who tries to reinvent herself when she starts at a new school. Beautifully written, the lyrical prose wends the story around a multitude of themes, including love, religion, self-esteem, artistic expression, censorship, eating disorders, and prejudice. The verse style makes this a fast read, but it never feels rushed. Ella is a provocative main character who searches for her identity by pushing limits and challenging norms.
Best Part: The ink of night fades into pink lemonade / A line of orange slices the horizon (p.21). The writing is absolutely stunning.

What isn’t good?

Like graphic novels, the verse format doesn’t allow for a lot of depth or backstory. I’m not sure how much it matters with this story, but I did find many supporting characters bled together, especially the school friends, and many heavy topics in the background are only touched on lightly in favor of Ella’s storyline.
Worst part: The end was a bit…odd, but I suppose that leads us into book two.

Recommendation þþþþo

I can almost give this one five checkmarks. I may not agree with several of the decisions the main character makes, but her search for self is engagingly raw and dark. Her behavior is not gratuitous, but rather the cost of getting to know herself and what she’s willing to do to be genuine. Definitely recommended.  

Prendergast, Gabrielle. Audacious. Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2013.