Ferocious

Gr 10 Up—Fans of Vicarious will be pleased to learn Winter Kim is back and as determined as ever. This story appeals to fans of action/adventure with a high-tech twist. This time, Winter returns to Korea and resolves mysteries from her childhood with the help of some of the Vicarious characters. A weak spot in the narrative is the author's characterization of the antagonists. Winter Kim was a child prostitute and the victim of horrendous abuse; each time she encounters one of her former abusers, the writing falls flat. Occasionally, it feels as though the evildoers should end each statement with "mwahaha" and stroke their thin mustaches. Although the teen fiction genre is flexible when it comes to dealing with violence, the relationship between Winter and her former guardian Gideon is food for thought. Gideon is brought into Winter's life when he has a romantic relationship with her sister Rose. Rose was a child prostitute at the time. How can Winter be so angry with the other men who abused her while forgiving a father figure who committed the same crime? So much of Winter's journey is guided by her connection to Gideon. At times the story reads as though the author has used abuse as a plot device. Winter's mental scars create outlandish characters and plot twists, but the story does not dig deep enough.