"A stunningly written and insightful epic of teen angst"

• ASIN: ‎ B0BGSNBJMM
• Publication date: ‎ September 28, 2022
• Language: ‎ English
• Print length: ‎ 470 pages
• Genre: Teen & Young Adult Law & Crime Stories

The BookViral Review:

A stunningly written and insightful epic of teen angst, ‘Justice-do not approach her’ draws its readers in from the first moment and keeps them in its thrall until the very last word.

Justice, a plain and mistreated teen, walks a tightrope between resignation and suicidal thoughts. Bullied both at school and at home, the only relief is in education, where nevertheless, despite the bruises, teachers see only her academic brilliance and fail to protect her. One terrible evening she snaps, brutally murdering her abusive Father with a knife she has kept temptingly under her mattress for months.

One may assume that a storyline much travelled in both memoir and fiction would result in another typical young adult offering. Not so for Sarah Ciacia, who crafts her words so expertly that you feel every sensory detail and emotion penned, crawling inside the mind of Justice Marshall as surely as if you inhabited her skin. Exposing motivation and reaction, she leads her central character in a ghastly dance of refusal and relief, as she negotiates the days which follow as they twist into a medley of terror and bliss.

Showing surprising maturity for such a young writer, Ciacia conveys just the right measure of pathos, whilst maintaining an underlying grit, rendering her reader unable to fully hate her protagonist, if at all. A clever twist sees a legacy of toughness, retribution and togetherness passed from one vulnerable individual to another and offers a sliver of a silver lining in the form of an unlikely hero. Ciacia’s wonderfully rich and expressive language brings both setting and characters into sharp relief, as they, in equal measure, display and betray typical stereotypes.

More than just fiction, the social commentary interwoven throughout the plot is both stark and real; a spotlight shining on the unfortunate existence of many young people who have both innocence and happiness torn away from them at a tender age.

Unequivocally recommended, with a conclusion left ripe for a sequel, Sarah Ciacia leaves you wanting and waiting for more flawlessly executed fiction.