Review: In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Source: goodreads.com

Title/Author: In Honor- Jessi Kirby

Release Date: May 8, 2012

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Source: Public library

Rating: 3/5 cowboy boots



I am a lover of cowboy boots. In fact, I own a pair that I wear year round, no matter the weather or the looks I get from those crazy women in stilettos. Maybe that's part of the reason I was drawn to this book. The cover, with the red velvet-looking cowboy boots just pulled me in like a fly to honey. The synopsis was pretty intriguing too (from the publisher):

Three days after learning of her brother Finn's death, Honor receives his last letter from Iraq. Devastated, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously sets off to California to fulfill it. At the last minute she's joined by Rusty, Finn's former best friend.

Rusty is the last person Honor wants to be with- he's cocky and obnoxious, just like Honor remembers, and she hasn't forgiven him for turning his back on Finn when Finn enlisted. But their road trip ends up revealing more than the desert landscape. While they cover the dusty miles in Finn's beloved 1967 Chevy Impala, long-held resentments begin to fade, and Honor and Rusty struggle to come to terms with the loss they share.

As their memories of Finn merge to create a new portrait, Honor's eyes are opened to a side of her brother she never knew- a side that shows her the true meaning of love and sacrifice.

 So let me just say this: the book lives up to it's premise. Maybe I live under a rock or something, but I haven't seen a lot of young adult books written about the present day war in Afghanistan. I enjoyed that aspect of it. And I certainly didn't hate this book at all. I liked it. But it was just okay. I wouldn't run out and wave it all my friends' faces screaming "YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK NOW!" (not that I've ever done THAT before).

Rusty and Honor were great characters. They really developed, and you could see the kind of people they are now compared to the people they were. A lot of character revealation took place through stories, like Finn, for example. Finn was killed in the war (obviously. No spoiler alert there), but you still felt like you knew him when you closed the book. That takes a talent, and I can certainly appreciate what she did.

But the book was also very slow. It moved like a river, taking it's time, until suddenly, a big hurricane whipped up and it didn't stop until the very end, when it once again abruptly jolted to a leisurely end. I would've liked it to be smoother, where I could sense that something big was coming up, instead of just having it slammed on me. That's a killer for me, and I need to feel the motion of the story to be intrigued.

Again, I definitely LIKED the story. I didn't shut it halfway through, which I'm not shy about doing. And even though there was a sad atmosphere to it, there was certainly one funny bit that stands out in my mind:

"That," I said, grabbing for my beer, "was horrible." I took a good, long gulp that washed away the last of the burn and gave me a new appreciation for beer, then I set the half-empty bottle on the table and shook my head at Rusty. "Ugh. No tequila. Ever again."

"YOU SHOULD TRY SOME MORE TEQUILA!" I yell across the table to Rusty. "IT'LL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!" (pg. 176-177, In Honor)

Be sure pick this novel up at your local library, or read the first little bit in a bookstore to get a feel for what it's going to be about. Maybe look for some other Jessi Kirby books too- I believe she has one out called MOONGLASS. She's clearly a good author, it's just that this book didn't QUITE do her the justice I'm sure she deserves!

Happy Reading!
Elizabeth