Book Review: Ferocity Summer by Alissa Grosso

"...more grit and less glitz…"

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 2012
Publisher: Flux
Pages: 279
Series: no
Acquisition: NetGalley

Summary:

Scilla Davis is haunted by a horrible accident that she was involved in last summer--a drunken, reckless joyride that ended in tragedy. With a big trial looming, life seems empty, unreal, and utterly hopeless. It's especially painful watching her best friend, Willow, slowly destroy herself with pills and booze. Yet Scilla can't seem to wrest Willow--or herself--from a path of self-destruction.

But there might be a possible escape from this nightmare. As a dangerous new drug called Ferocity sweeps the nation, an FBI agent asks Scilla to turn narc and help locate the Ferocity kingpin. In exchange, she could avoid conviction for her role in the accident. All she has to do is deceive and betray people she's known all her life . . .(from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
Raw, gritty and a little disturbing, Ferocity Summer tells the story of one girl's trip down the rabbit hole. Her life is out of control, her mother is a horror and her best friend is on a path that could only lead to pure destruction. To say that I was a swept away by Scilla's story would be an understatement.

From the very start I knew Ferocity Summer was going to be an intense read. Scilla's voice is honest and honestly? Her life is messed up. She does nothing to take control of her life and it quickly spirals out of control. She makes bad decisions, she keeps company with people she shouldn't and she really doesn't care about herself at all. Is she a teenage role model? Hells no. But is she a real character? A person who could very well be your friend or neighbor? Yes.

It was the unpredictability of everything that really drew me in. Scilla's life might be a bit unbelievable but it wasn't hard to imagine the things that happened to her and her family happening in real life. The totality of her experiences are a bit out there but the individual pieces were terrifyingly realistic.

Final verdict:
Ferocity Summer could be seen as a cautionary tale. A warning of sorts about the things that can happen when you make bad decisions. It could also be seen as a story of friendship. I read it in the same way I might approach a dangerous animal - a healthy dose of caution mixed with a curiosity that had to be satisfied. Not knowing how Scilla's story would end was scary and fascinating.

A great read for me. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one to fans of YA lit who want more grit and less glitz in their contemporary reads.

Overall Rating:

5 / 5 Stars

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