Starred Review "Stuck as eternal companions, Love and Death never worked as allies." Instead, they while away the millennia playing a game. Each chooses a player from among humanity. The length of the game is determined by a roll of the dice. The stakes are fatally high: if Death wins, her player dies; if Love wins, both players live. Death always wins. This time, however, Love is confident that he has the edge: the players are twins at heart. Flora is an African American girl, toughened by tragedy, who dreams of being an aviatrix. Henry, who has known his own share of misfortune, is white and guaranteed financial success as long as he follows the life mapped out for him by his adoptive family. Flora and Henry's fight for love in Depression-era Seattle faces so many natural obstacles that the machinations of the immortals almost look like a secondary concern. Almost. This sophisticated novel is filled with breathtaking prose and nuanced characterizations. Secondary characters pulled into the game by virtue of their associations with Henry and Flora are as richly drawn as the lovers. Love and Death, equally enigmatic and maddening, are the moral core of the story, despite the callous premise of their game. This original novel is a thoughtful exploration of courage, love, and the price we pay to live.

Gr 9 Up-Set in 1930s Seattle, this work tells the story of two teenagers whose destinies are being manipulated by powers far beyond their control. An orphan from a poor African American family who works as an airplane mechanic by day and a jazz singer at night, Flora dreams of being the next Amelia Earhart. Henry lives just a few blocks away, but he is white, and his adoptive family is wealthy. A bright future of college and a career lies ahead of him, but he is distracted by his love of music and, from the moment he first lays eyes on her, by Flora. What Flora and Henry don't know is that they have been chosen as pawns in a game between the immortal entities Love and Death. If they choose each other, then Love wins and they both survive, but if they don't, then Death wins and Flora's life is forfeit. Love and Death take on various guises and wreak havoc on the lives of their players at a deadly cost to both of their families. Though the writing is often beautiful and evocative, the story is sometimes weighed down by its many side characters and plot twists, and attempts to use Love and Death to explore larger philosophical ideas lack punch. Still, romance lovers will find themselves rooting for the ill-fated couple, and the historical setting and African American charactersparticularly strong-willed Florabring some much needed diversity to the YA scene. VERDICT An interracial YA romance with weighty themes.— Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA