Girls with Razor Hearts

Gr 9 Up–“Girls have to play nice or face the consequences.” This is the truth Mena learns about the outside world after the girls escape from Innovations Academy. As a part of their mission to destroy the corporation that created them, they enroll at Ridgeview Prep, a private school in which influential male students are allowed to bully and harass female students with impunity. The girls now have multiple goals: take down the corporation, save the girls left behind at Innovations Academy, find justice for the girls of Ridgeview Prep, and discover their place in the world. This sequel to Girls with Sharp Sticks takes the narrative in an interesting new direction, as the young women face real world challenges readers will recognize all too well. The rage-inducing actions of the boys at Ridgeview are extreme and painfully authentic. Also ringing true are the portrayals of Mena’s trauma and aftermath, her memories “like a thousand ants under my skin.” Astute readers will find the history lessons in this fictional future to have subtle and glaringly obvious connections to current political events and figures. While the girls’ mission does not stand up to intense scrutiny, it moves right along and is compelling. And if Mena’s musings on issues of gender and, briefly, race, begin to feel a bit pedantic and repetitive, fans of the first book will enjoy seeing these characters tackle new challenges and new debates.