Review: Petra K and the Blackhearts: A Novel by M. Henderson

[elizabethreads0312]

3 out of 5 stars.

Petra K. is a girl who does not know much about her family. Her mother is grieving and lashes out at Petra. Petra does to a school where she does not belong and lives in town she does not belong. She loves dragonkas. Dragonkas are, miniature, pets that were bread from Dragons. Petra K goes on a journey to figure out who she is and where she belongs.

Petra K is a Ya fantasy adventure book.

I like the middle to the end of the novels pace. The pace kept me wanting to read, causing me trouble when I tried to set it down. I also like the authors style in how she showed the actions rather than telling the reader what happened. I also liked how the author left us in the dark and allowed us to figure out the mystery along with the Petra K.

I did have a few problems with the novel. The had several moments of satire. However the satire pieces of the novel weren't related. She had references to both Russia and the United states. Unless this book was a stature on the cold war I felt like the satire of two different cultures conflicted and was unnecessary. I also did not like how she dated the novel by referencing pop culture with the reference to Nickelodeon.

The book was very hard to get into and a bit confusing at first. It got much better as the book progressed and I liked how all the little details of the plot fit together in the end. I didn't partially enjoy the end, in that I think the author could have spent a little more time and developed it further. Over all I thought the book was okay, and would recommended to readers of YA who have not experienced fantasy and would like to. The world was not to complex and the magic element was easy to follow.