Skin Hunger
by Kathleen Duey
ISBN: 978-0-689-84094-4
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
$9.99 Paperback
Core Audience – 13 and up, mainly fans of fantasy and magic.
Notable Aspects – magic, relationships, trials, personal determination, failure and success, anger
Awards – National Book Award Finalist
Review: Hahp has grown up as a son of privilege. His father is an important man, someone who demands perfection of those around him at all times. Unfortunately, Hahp has never been able (or willing) to be the son that his father expects. Due to this, young Hahp finds himself dropped at the door of a school for wizards. This school is nothing like the Wizarding schools we have come to know as readers though. There is no Quidditch match awaiting Hahp. Instead what awaits him is starvation, torture, darkness, discomfort and an overwhelming sense of abandonment. Even cooperation amongst his classmates is met with punishment...”Stop helping each other, “ he [Somiss the Wizard] said in his graveled whisper, “if you wish to live.”
Another young person, Sadima is having her own struggle with the world. Born with the ability to mentally communicate with animals, Sadima has to live under the shadow of a father and brother who resent her for the death of her mother, who died giving birth to Sadima. Her father and brother share an irrational hatred of magic, something that leads Sadima away from home and towards a city, looking for a way to develop and use her ability without fear. Eventually she becomes a part of the magical world, serving as hired help to two of the wizards who run Hahp's school.
This book is a masterpiece of tone and mood. The reader starves alongside Hahp and cries for the inexperienced Sadima. The hatred for Somiss is palpable, drawing the emotion of the reader forward, forcing a deep connection to the storyline of the novel. Anyone who wants to learn how effective mood is created should read this book and study every detail, from the scratching of Hahp's burlap robes, to the hidden sadness of Franklin's smile. This story is truly a study in mood, something that is often overlooked in YA literature.
Stephen Horvath
Rating: 9
9/8/10
