Review: In Honor by Jessi Kirby

A devastating loss leads to an unexpected road trip in this novel from the author of Moonglass, whose voice Sarah Dessen says “is fresh and wise, all at once.” 

Hours after her brother’s military funeral, Honor opens the last letter Finn ever sent. In her grief, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously decides to go to California to fulfill it. 

Honor gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

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Jessi Kirby's sophomore novel, In Honor, is a quick, satisfying read, but it isn't without depth. I actually ended up enjoying it more than Kirby's first novel, Moonglass. Like her first novel, In Honor is contemporary YA, but I think I felt more kinship with Honor than with any of the characters in Moonglass. 

Honor is close to leaving home for college when her brother, serving overseas in the military, dies. Honor and her brother, Finn, are incredibly close and his death hits her hard. Finn is more than a brother to Honor, he's one of her best friends, her confidante, and he helped raise her after the loss of their parents. I'm very close to my brother, so Honor's pain resonated with me. In addition to Finn's death being a terrible thing all on its own, Honor is dealing with the confusion and anger she feels over Finn joining the military in the first place. 

In Finn's last letter to Honor, he sends tickets to the concert of one of her favorite performers and jokes that she should tell her about him. Honor takes this flip comment seriously and embarks on a road trip to tell celebrity idol about Finn, her real life idol. Along for the ride is Rusty, Finn's estranged best friend.

Rusty is an interesting character. It's clear from the start that he's a good guy, but he's dealing with some pretty intense demons... and he isn't doing it in a healthy way. He's the quintessential tortured bad boy with a heart of gold. Perhaps a bit cliche, but also familiar.

There weren't any crazy plot twists within In Honor's pages, but it was  well told story about a girl dealing with intense grief and finding herself after her pillar of stability is lost. Featuring a road trip, a good looking guy, a colorful cast of characters, and neatly wrapped up ending, In Honor is definitely worth a read.

Simon & Schuster BFYR, May 2012, Hardcover, ISBN: 9781442433137, 240 pages.

Win a copy of MOONGLASS and WE'LL ALWAYS SUMMER

Big Honcho Media has kindly provided a copy of Jessi Kirby's MOONGLASS and the final installment of Jenny Han's Summer trilogy, WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER, for one lucky winner here at The Hiding Spot! See below for your chance to win both of these great summer reads!

Prize:

(1) hardcover copy of MOONGLASS

(1) hardcover copy of WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER

How to Enter:

You MUST fill out this FORM. If you neglect to fill out the form, you will not be entered to win.

Extra Entries:

Not required. Extra entries are detailed on the entry form as well.

+1 Comment on my review of MOONGLASS.
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Extra entries will not be awarded for following The Hiding Spot, but it's always appreciated! 


Details:
Contest will close June 5th, 2011. Open to the US only! You must be age 13 or older to enter.

Good luck!

Review: Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Title: Moonglass
Author: Jessi Kirby
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pub. Date: 5.3.2011
Genre: Contemporary YA
Keywords: Death, Single Father, Grief, Moving, Ocean, Suicide
Pages: 224
Description (from Goodreads):
I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both.

Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface. 
While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever.


I've come to find that discovering new contemporary YA authors to love is becoming a consuming hobby, but it's so worth it when I find an author like Jessi Kirby and a book like MOONGLASS.


I'm not the biggest fan of MOONGLASS' cover, but the blurb by Sarah Dessen intrigued me. Dessen has been one of my favorite authors since junior high I always take a look at books that are rumored to be similar to her style... Kirby's debut is reminiscent of Dessen's novels, but is definitely it's own novel. I found that the feelings explored in MOONGLASS are very much like what one would find in a Dessen novel, but Kirby adds her own flavor and flair to her writing that makes it very much her own.


I wasn't positive I'd be Anna's biggest fan. She's kind of... perfect. She has a gorgeous beach body, great hair without having to try, and an engaging personality ... and she's completely aware of it. Luckily, Anna only goes out and displays her assets a couple times before she has her guy pretty well hooked, so the reader is able to overlook her lack of flaws. I'm not proposing that she should have a huge defect, but a little imperfection is generally a good thing.


Anna's relationship with her father was, in my opinion, the most notable aspect of this novel.  I liked that there wasn't a new woman coming between Anna and her father, but rather the memory of Anna's mother and the ghostly remains of her suicide. 


I highly recommend Kirby's MOONGLASS and I can guarantee I'll be reading her sophomore novel!