Book Review: Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

Ain’t literal titles the best?

Born and raised in the Midwest, Jersey Cameron knows all about tornadoes. Or so she thinks. When her town is devastated by a twister, Jersey survives -- but loses her mother, her young sister, and her home. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with her only surviving relatives: first her biological father, then her estranged grandparents.

In an unfamiliar place, Jersey faces a reality she's never considered before -- one in which her mother wasn't perfect, and neither were her grandparents, but they all loved her just the same. Together, they create a new definition of family. And that's something no tornado can touch.

me. Together, they create a new definition of family. And that's something no tornado can touch.

This book deals well with lost and shows how destructive a hurricane can be emotionally. The hurricane and the damage were well written.

Doing most the book, people are just terrible to Jersey and all of them experience mood swings. There were points where I really wish that Jersey would stand up for herself. Her stand of action is bit late and redundant. You would find it very hard not to feel sympathy for Jersey at some point in this book considering he repeatedly abandoned throughout the novel in different forms.

I feel that certain characters were very flat and only there to serve their purpose. We get hints at depth but it was elaborate at much as I would have liked.

This book also sends mixed messages about the importance of biology in family. I feel like wanted to say that it doesn’t matter, but in action that’s not what happens at all. The only family tie that isn’t biology dumps her at the first chance.

Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars for numbered cats. It was a nice read but has a few issues. I do plan to read her other books soon.

I got this off Netgalley for a review. It’s being published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on 6^th May 2014.

P.S. I read a proof but there is a really weird thing in that bugged me that it even made into a proof. This more note of something I want to point out. Half-siblings in the book are referred to as step which was confusing as hell. I really do hope that has been changed before the finial proof.