Despite her loved ones' urgings to stay out of the Wars, Valerie desperately wants revenge for her brother, murdered by a gang called the Boars. So when Jax, leader of the Stags, a rival gang, offers her the name of her brother's killer, Valerie readily joins up. Almost immediately, she ong with her family and friends nds herself in the middle of the gangs' machinations. When the body count starts to rise, Valerie begins questioning whether her bloodlust is worth the destruction of everything she holds dear. Using a story loosely based on The Iliad, debut author Price portrays an alternate version of modern-day San Francisco in which class tensions have erupted into an underground proxy war between violent street gangs. An interesting, if not altogether smoothly integrated, aspect of the story is how a contemporary city, complete with shopping areas, schools, and modern technology, exists side by side with a gritty gang war reminiscent of The Warriors. Fans of stories of factional conflict such as Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy will feel right at home.

Gr 9 Up-Debut author Price presents a heart-wrenching tale of a group of young adults in San Francisco who are trying to end the Wars between the three gangs of the Bay Area: the Herons, the Boars, and the Stags. A ritual happens in the city when a teenager turns 18: they might be drafted into one of the gangs to fight in the Wars. Valerie Simons struggles through the loss of her little brother, Leo, who was shot by a member of one of the gangs that run the city. Heartbroken and enraged, her mission becomes to join the Herons with her love interest Matthew, who is heir to the Herons leadership, to find Leo's murderer. But the night of Valerie's 18th birthday she is kidnapped by members of the Stags and is coerced into joining their group. Now Valerie must choose between two factions and two loves in her quest for revenge. The detailed writing style portrays characters' emotions without overwhelming readers. Price manages to write a story not only action-packed and intense, but that also dives deep into serious subjects: cutting/self-harm, suicidal tendencies, grief, and resentment toward parents who aren't around. The characters are all memorable and readers' feelings about them will be constantly evolving. There isn't a clear-cut villain until the very end, making the story unpredictable. VERDICT Despite minor details that seem rushed, this is a fantastic read. Recommended for teens who enjoy urban coming-of-age stories. Danny Jacobs, Las Vegas Clark County Library District