North of Beautiful- Justina Chen Headley (review)

Beauty. A goal that has always remained elusive to Terra. While the rest of her body is perfect, it's Terra's birthmark, mapped across her right cheek, that people pay the most attention to. Terra's life is difficult enough without the unwanted attention. Her father is manipulative and cruel. Her mother has lost her backbone and her confidence. Terra and her boyfriend don't really connect- in fact, he seems to be embarrassed to be dating the girl with the port wine stain. And Terra is a closet artist…not proud enough of her work to put it on display. But then Jacob enters the picture. And everything is different...

Last year, when I read Girl, Overboard, I knew I had found a great author in Justina Chen Headley. I've been looking forward to reading her next book ever since. North of Beautiful exceeded my expectations. Headley had a deep understanding of her characters in her writing, and it showed. In lots of books, I feel like the author doesn't allow the reader to get to know the characters well enough. I don't leave these books with much of a personal link with the characters. I can only view them as acquaintances, and I feel little emotional pull where they are concerned. This was not so in North of Beautiful. Jacob and Terra's relationship was incredibly unique and profound. They had a bond more unusual, strong, and natural than any I have come across in a long time in a book. The story had a softly determined quality as it unfolded…it quietly asserted that its tale would get told. Which made sense since the story provided and inspired much strength. The descriptions were vibrant (particularly those that took place in China). The ending was wonderful, and I couldn't imagine a better way to leave Terra's story. There is only one phrase that can accurately describe Headley's writing: truly beautiful.

*North of Beautiful has been added to the NSCG's List of Favorite Books (Girl Overboard has already claimed a spot)
**Justina Chen Headley has been added to the NSCG's List of Favorite Authors

~bella aire~

North of Beautiful can be preordered (release in February) here:
http://www.amazon.com/North-Beautiful-Justina-Chen-Headley/dp/0316025054/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228362045&sr=8-1

Also: Justina Chen Headley has a myspace here: http://www.myspace.com/justinachenheadley
Her blog on Shanghai is really interesting, so check it out!