A review by dayoldtea
The Towering Sky by Katharine McGee

2.0

this book was edging toward 4 stars until that ending. of course the Very Special white girl who's f*cking her brother gets to live while the wlw couple (one of whom is a woman of color) dies !!

Additionally, the characters' responses to grief seem laughably unrealistic. If someone who had been a very close friend of mine since I was five was discovered to be in an incestuous relationship with her brother (I don't care that ~he's adopted; they were raised as siblings ffs) in an incredibly public and humiliating way, then seemingly committed suicide by setting her family's apartment on fire, my top concern wouldn't be enacting the reconciliation portion of a romcom (wtf @ Cord and Leda). Somehow, though, teenage romance is a higher concern than your good friend's incredibly violent suicide by self-immolation. Yikes.

Not going to lie- this series is very readable and well-written in the same way that Gossip Girl is. Dialogue might be occasionally corny and some plot twists foreseeable, but it's twisty and melodramatic enough to be truly engaging.

Author needs to learn how to deal with marginalized communities / write characters (especially characters of color) and relationships that aren't romantic. Her choices in these arenas have consistently spoiled otherwise good YA.