A History of Glitter and Blood

Gr 10 Up—Beckan Moloy, 16, is a fairy who lives with three boys in Ferrum, an old fairy city. At one point, the fairies and gnomes live together harmoniously (even though the gnomes often snack on fairies) until war erupts, destroying the city. To survive, Beckan and her friend Scrap resort to prostitution—they have sex with the same gnomes who might eat them. After the fairies are liberated by the tightropers, a strange group of people who live in spun webs above the city buildings, Beckan imagines life will go back to normal. Then she meets Piccolo, a tightroper who has his own ideas about liberation and political power. Peace may not come as easily to Ferrum as Beckan hopes. There are no magical, ethereal, or sinister fairy qualities that readers might expect in this kingdom. Moskowitz employs an unusual storytelling format, where an unseen narrator is writing the first draft of Beckan's story. Unfortunately, this makes for a disjointed narrative and teens will struggle to make sense of the time line. In addition, characters are introduced without backstory, making context and rereads necessary. Still, the author's talent is evident as she ambitiously tackles complex themes of violence, sexual awakening, politics, and even infertility, although her message might be lost on some readers.