A review by veecaswell
Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann

5.0

Run, Rebel is a trailblazing verse novel that thunders with rhythm, heart and soul - perfect for fans of Sarah Crossan, Elizabeth Acevedo and Rupi Kaur.

I did worry beginning to read this book how powerful it would be as I felt there was a lot of internalised misogyny going on, however as the book delves deeper and gets into the story, you begin to understand why and it becomes a powerful and brilliant learning curve for our brilliantly written and perfectly flawed lead in Amber, who leads a brilliant cast of relateable and well developed characters in this book.

The poetry moves in different directions to allow us better depth to these characters and the story, giving us a more rounded tale and though sometimes it feels like it moves in a place where it is not needed, as the book goes on, it shows actually those moments were in the perfect place the entire time - how this collection of poems builds to create this story is done so incredibly well and makes for an emotional and powerful read from start to finish.

How in moments we see the poems move from the focus of Amber to her mum and to her sister makes this book a whole new level of brilliant, their perspectives adding to the story and giving us glimpses of these women and the impact of their father on their lives in different ways and it makes for heartbreaking but brilliant reading.

for me when a book makes you both not want to read but carry on anyway, that is a book that deserves five stars and that's why this book has it. Intense, emotional and euphoric, I was in tears at the end and it makes for a very quick but wonderful read.