Reviews

Breaking Free by Alicia McCalla

sr_toliver's review against another edition

2.0

XJ Patterson was born into a family of revolutionaries, but she’s unsure of whether she wants to continue her family legacy or just be a normal teenage girl. With chapters told through the perspectives of XJ, her love interest, and her stepsister, multiple voices control the narrative and provide nuance that may not have been available otherwise. Yet, even with multiple perspectives, there are some plot points that are left open and some that are not explained at all. Specifically, it felt as though the author spent more time on the characters and their awkward love triangle than she did on building the world in which her characters lived. Additionally, I feel like the author was trying to discuss social issues in society, like interracial dating and ability, but the reliance on stereotypes to bring these issues to he forefront could have been diversified, thus moving it away from cliche territory.

deleyna's review against another edition

5.0

I know Alicia and read her wonderful blog. This book was from her heart and speaks to so many different issues of our time. A wonderful read that speaks to young people in their own language about the world they live in every day.