Jellicoe Road
Author: Melina Marchetta
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date Published: March 9th 2010
From Goodreads:
At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor's the reluctant leader of her school's underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can't avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future.
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Jellicoe Road is one of those books that I had high expectations of because of all of the praise it has been getting from book bloggers. I went into thinking this better rock my world, and it did.
I loved the way the boarding school had territory wars with the Townies, and Cadets. Everything in Jellicoe Road circled around the war, and as secrets starting unraveling I grew more and more into it. Though everything circles around the wars, Jellicoe Road isn't about the wars. It's about family, life, secrets and painful decisions. I really enjoyed how Melina Marchetta let everything unravel, the flow of the story, and the words she chose were perfect. The description describes it as lyrical, and it totally is.
The characters were great. I especially loved the chemistry between Taylor and Jonah. It wasn't unbelievable and Jonah is awesome! For reals!!!
Seriously, if you have this sitting on your shelves and have not read it, read it. If you don't have a copy, go buy one.