Review Detail

Well. I haven’t been quite so surprised by a book in a long time. I walked into Harbinger thinking one thing and I got something completely different. And I mean that in the best possible way. From about page 30, this book had me hooked. Etienne’s writing is crisp and effective, her main character Faye is intriguing, and, most importantly, the author’s grip on emotional writing is great.

Basically, Holbrook Academy is a fancy rehab center. Complete with pepper spray/taser-bearing Caretakers and creepy cells and neon jumpsuits. I loved how Etienne portrayed this world that Faye finds herself flung into. Even before any of the paranormal elements became evident, I was impressed just by the realism and emotional depth of the school. Everything done to Faye was done with the intent to strip her of her identity; there was stark realism and depth to that and I loved the atmosphere.

As a character, Faye wasn’t the strongest for me. Etienne only shows us who she is in the present, so we get a very concise picture of what she’s doing in one moment and how she feels. I never got the whole picture with her. I’m not going to say characterization was this author’s strong point, but it got the job done and I can’t complain. I will say, though, that Faye is a very proactive hero, which I enjoyed quite a bit.

One thing that totally took me by surprise was the dystopian setting. I hadn’t read a lot about this book (I almost never read reviews until after I’ve finished a book), so that memo passed me by. And on the whole, Etienne did a great job with worldbuilding in Harbinger. The future United States with all its problems was laid out clearly and I didn’t see any gaping construction holes. I also really appreciated that the dystopian setting actually had a point—once you get to the paranormal aspects of the plot, there’s a tie-in.

And, paranormal aspects. They were very creepy, very unexpected, very unique. The whole “Harbinger” thing was pretty well done, and it kept me interested. There was almost a Gothic feel to this book, what with the creepy mansion and forest and stuff. On the whole, I thought it was a pretty well done paranormaly type deal.

There was a bit of an insta-love issue, but it wasn’t so blatant that it bothered me. Oh! And huge celebration for Kel because he’s a non-white main character. Why does the YA genre have no diversity?

I will say that Harbinger doesn’t have the easiest plot to follow along with. It’s kind of jerky in some spots, and I did have to go back and re-read a couple of passages. Nothing major, though.

Sara Wilson Etienne’s Harbinger is a very strong debut. In fact, it’s one of the strongest YA debuts I’ve read in a while. With a unique storyline that, for my part, caused a strong emotional reaction, Harbinger is one of the good ones.