Robert Zimmermann

This was another great verse novel from Sonya Sones. This is the fourth of Sones’ books I’ve read, and I can say I haven’t been disappointed yet.

I was a bit surprised with where the story went on this one. I was thinking it was going to be more of a romance focus, but instead there was more of a focus on Ruby healing after her mother’s death and other major life changes. It was this and some other minor themes that really made the story stick for me. The characters and their actions were very realistic, especially Sones’ younger characters. This author is a great at writing a teenager’s point of view and voice effectively.

I always enjoy the way Sones can work a well-developed plot, characters, and conflict into her verse. The limited word count allows for each line to be to the point and, at times, more thought-provoking than a normal prose novel could. If this were written in prose I don’t think it’d have held as much enjoyment, for me. Though, I have a feeling if this author were to write prose novels, I’d be just as eager to read them.