Review 139. Sarah Zettel – Dust girl.

Title: Dust girl.
Author: Sarah Zettel.
Pages: 304.
Published: June 26th 2012.
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers.
Sort: Part one of ‘The American fairy trilogy’

Callie LeRoux lives in Slow Run, Kansas, helping her mother run their small hotel and trying not to think about the father she’s never met. Lately all of her energy is spent battling the constant storms plaguing the Dust Bowl and their effects on her health. Callie is left alone when her mother goes missing in a dust storm. Her only hope comes from a mysterious man offering a few clues about her destiny and the path she must take to find her parents in “the golden hills of the west”: California. Along the way she meets Jack, a young hobo boy who is happy to keep her company—there are dangerous, desperate people at every turn. And there’s also an otherworldly threat to Callie. Warring fae factions, attached to the creative communities of American society, are very much aware of the role this half-mortal, half-fae teenage girl plays in their fate.

Rating:

“I thought maybe I could just get away from everything. But you can't get away from a thing that's your own fault.”

From the beginning I was sucked into the story of Callie. She lives in Slow Run with her mother in a small hotel. The constant storms are causing health problems for Callie, but her mother refuses to leave. Year ago their father left them, but he promised to return one day and her mother is holding tight to that promise.

When one of the worst dust storms comes up, Callie’s mother disappears. That is when Callie starts to find out that she isn’t just a girl. She is part of a prophecy and the two Faerie courts – Seelie and Unseelie – are both looking for her. Together with Jack, a boy she releases out of jail, Callie is heading for the golden hills of the west; California. Her parents are supposed to be there and she will do anything to safe her mother. On their way, they encounter dangerous people and it’s hard to find out who they can trust.

I really liked Callie. She has a hard time with the dust, but she keeps supporting her mother. I’m not really sure if her mother deserves that, but her loyalty was touching. It was fun to collect all the pieces of the puzzle with her. Why is she hearing all these strange voices and what is the mystery around her father? Jack is a sweet boy, but I didn’t really connect with him. He was just there and I like that he decides to help Callie, a girl he barely met. The secondary characters are interesting and I like how they played their role in the story. There are some creepy characters and it was a shame that the real villain was overshadowed.

The ending was a bit too rushed for my taste. I didn’t see the twist coming, but I wished that the plot got more time to unravel. A few pages more would have completed this story, but I’m definitely looking forward to part two, Golden Girl, which will be published June 25th.