Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
"'Thou art the Black Rider. Go thee out unto the world.'

Lisabeth Lewis has a black steed, a set of scales, and a new job: she’s been appointed Famine. How will an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Traveling the world on her steed gives Lisa freedom from her troubles at home—her constant battle with hunger, and her struggle to hide it from the people who care about her. But being Famine forces her to go places where hunger is a painful part of everyday life, and to face the horrifying effects of her phenomenal power. Can Lisa find a way to harness that power—and the courage to fight her own inner demons?"- summary from Amazon

I really enjoyed this clever intertwining of an issue book with a paranormal aspect to it, especially since it's one that deals with the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which is hardly ever seen. While we're on that topic too, I really liked Kessler's characterization of Death, and I loved it almost as much as Terry Pratchett's Death in his Discworld series. Hopefully we'll see more of him in the future books.

It hurt to read this book at times because of how Lisa treated herself when it came to her weight and anorexia. Kessler, having been through a similar eating disorder situation growing up, doesn't pull any punches when it comes to this serious issue and it really made the book better.

I was really amazed at Kessler's take on the Horsemen of the Apocalypse and how Lisa chose to use it eventually. It was really interesting and just made the book even more compelling.

Also awesome? The fact that this is a paperback (if this were a hardcover, I'd probably kill someone because it's only 175 pages) and an $8.99 one at that, with some of the proceeds going to National Eating Disorders Association. So go out and grab a copy!

Overall, a wonderful, compelling start to a new series with some intriguing twists and turns. I can't wait for the sequel!

FTC: Received book at BEA. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.