I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I will preface this review by saying that I did love the book, and the only major flaws I have are the fact that I prefer the author’s horror works as they’re a genre and subject matter that speaks more to me. I loved Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth so much that anything else pales in comparison.

Compound Fracture is a book about a teenager who survived an attempted murder with the help of an ancestor who died in the West Virginia coal wars, only to get drawn into a struggle between the rural poor and those who exploit them. It is the story of a century-long blood feud and how people are moved to violence when facing extreme hopelessness in working class Appalachia, told through a trans and autistic viewpoint. This book reads so clearly as a love letter to the region and the working class and not wanting to leave your hometown, even if it almost kills you because it’s still yours. The author masterfully weaves in the perspective of both the oppressed and the oppressors in this town, and the reader soon realises that desperate times and desperate measures mean that the lines are often blurry between the two.

As always, the author’s representation of trans and autistic perspectives is incredibly important to me, and he usually centres topics that I care about. However, in this book more than his others, I felt the storytelling focused more on being morally correct and woke than being interesting and complex. Some scenes rely on telling over showing and made me feel a little detached from the story. There are also many moments when Miles must always be in the right, no matter the circumstance. The book is written through first-person narration, and his internal monologue portrays him as correct in any situation. For example, he always finds a way to justify planning and committing murders. I’m not overly fond of books that moralise minority voices to this extent.

I think my main flaw in this book was the pacing. The bulk of the story moves slowly due to it being dedicated to characters standing around having conversations (which often does work when those conversations are furthering the storyline, but not when it feels like the characters are having slight variations in the same conversations over and over again), a small part is dedicated to watching the main antagonist act as what I perceive to be a caricature of a cartoon villain, and an even smaller part focused on what drew me to the book in the first place: turning the tide of the blood feud. A part that stands out to me is a high-tension scene where the author dedicated multiple pages to the protagonist monologuing about the book’s thesis statement in the middle of a character being shot. The story grinds to a halt for many moments and this change of topic mid-scene threw me out of the story, and this recurring lack of urgency made me stop reading and take a break several times.

One of my favourite small parts of this book is how the author presents a main character with parents who don’t understand them, but they’re trying. They don’t understand their son’s desire to transition, and they misgender and deadname him constantly, but the moment his safety is threatened, they’ll support him no matter the cost. Additionally, I did enjoy Miles’ journey to autism acceptance, and how signs of his parents having similar undiagnosed traits were continually shown. This was one thing they really did understand and accept about Miles unconditionally. The autism representation was very well done and oddly reminiscent of my own experience, to the point where it felt like I was reading about myself during some scenes. In my opinion, the relationship between Miles and his parents (even outside of the autism acceptance) was the most intriguing and developed in the book. As this is a book with strong family themes, I do wish they appeared more often on the page as Miles spends a lot of his time with his boyfriend or his former childhood best friend.

Overall, this book is about the importance of community and forcibly carving out a space for yourself to exist in inhospitable conditions, and that almost overshadows the fact that everything I liked about the book also comes with a negative. The story is unsettling and heartbreaking, but the thread of hope woven throughout is evident.

It's difficult to write about this book in full sentences as opposed to incoherent screaming. Andrew Joseph White is the master of trans, queer, autistic rage at the world and at systems of oppression. This book isn't set in an obvious dystopia like Hell Follows With Us, and that makes it all the more jarring. This is supposed to be our reality, but I'd like to believe it doesn't quite get THIS dark, at least in the present time. (Then again, I know it does.)

Compound Fracture takes place in the post-Trump American South, in a small community that is kept in control and fear by the Sheriff, who can literally get away with murder. The main character, Miles is a sixteen-year-old, autistic trans boy, who is a self-described socialist, and based on how he talks, probably spends 80% of his time reading radical leftist theory. Miles's family, the Abernathys, are sort of social outcasts and also at war with the Sheriff's family for the last hundred years, with a bloody history that involves murders on both sides. Despite all the horrors his family experienced, Miles loves his home and doesn't want to leave it, even as he knows that people like him are either ignored or pitied and thought stupid by Democrats in blue states.

Everyone in this book does horrible things, including the good guys, although to be fair they are desperate and traumatized for the most part. Still, some bad decisions are made, and sometimes this book is like watching a trainwreck play out in real time. There's also lots of body horror and gore, as is expected from this author.

My favorite character was Miles's anarchist nonbinary friend, who is fat and disfigured and just radically and loudly queer. But also, honestly, it sounded really exhausting. These people are all in major survival mode and basically fighting a war for their homes, and it's awful. There is some joy to be found in this book, but it really isn't much.

Miles coming out to his family and it being treated supportively but sort of awkwardly hit a bit close to home, especially since I came out to my parents while reading this, so yeah. But it was great to see a supportive family, and adults who backed up the teens, which is rare in YA.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦.

The patron saint of angry trans teen horror strikes again 🔪🩸

Without a shadow of a doubt my favourite A. J. White novel so far. Autistic, angry, anarchist trans teen confronting generational trauma and struggle in a small town of the Appalachian mountains. I went in this not knowing more than that, and I think everyone should too; to discovthe story as you turn the pages makes the tension run so much higher.
Compound Fracture is an essential book, especially in this day and age, when young people, especially queer, trans and poor ones, might feel lost and scared at the state of the world, faced with governments which don't care about them, their rights, their futures. It's visceral and radical, it grabs you by the throat and makes you look the ugly in the face, but it's also tender and hopeful at times; that's what we need right now.

I cannot recommend this book enough, it should be on everyone's shelf. And it can be on yours as soon as September 3rd! Compound Fracture is a new favourite, and I'm so looking forward to everyone being able to read it. 🩷

Eternally grateful to NetGalley and the Peach Tree Teen team for the e-arc!

i received an e-ARC in return for this review :)

as a trans, autistic gay man, with a special interest in horror, i knew i was going to enjoy this book. and i did!! i most certainly did. i’m typically unable to be completely involved and engaged with politics due to critically high cortisol levels and other mental health, but decided to give this book a try anyways. it was definitely a lot, in every way. it was tense and stressful and sad. but it was also full of queer joy and finding yourself and really sticking it to the man, if you know what i mean. the only reason this is not 5 stars is the animal cruelty, that is always just a notch down for me due to personal issues, especially with the animal incident being brought up many times throughout the book. just not me thing and not something i can deal with. but otherwise, i adored this. i can’t stop thinking about saint and i fear that when i legally change my name i may have to vice a second middle name of ‘saint,’ if not for what it means in the book itself. i read this book while waiting for 3.5 hours for a chest xray then a 15 minute appointment saying ‘it’s not cancer but it is something, im baffled idk what it is!’ so the rage in my system was already there, this book gave me a proper outlet for it haha

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc! This review is my complete honest opinion.

Compound Fracture follows Miles Abernathy trying to carve out space for himself, his family, and his friends in the aftermath of his attempted murder. The town of Twist Creek— and particularly, its Sheriff— isn’t friendly to anyone who sticks out from the status quo, but Miles plans to strike back and stay alive.

I enjoyed Andrew Joseph White’s other two books better than this one, but this was still a strong follow up. The best part of this book for me was the characters. Miles and his community feel so real in the best and most uncomfortable ways. Of course, the villainy of the antagonists are played up for the entertainment value, but the core of every character is so accurate to American small towns. The town is almost a character in itself, which was also enjoyable to read about. The first two parts of the book kept the intrigue high and kept me reading until the last page.

Some things people may not like were how overt conversations about politics and identity were. This book has even more of that than Hell Followed with Us, for example. Miles is still finding himself, and I think those conversations would be interesting and useful for young people figuring things out for themselves, but others who are more informed about gender, sexuality, and neurodivergence might find them tedious. The characters politics are very in your face in a way that might scare more conservative readers away. I think your milage might vary on those topics, but they provided a nice texture to the novel and charcacters that made them uniquely themselves.

My actual nitpicks of the novel would be that Miles didn’t really have an arc around his opinions on using violence against violent oppressors— I didn’t care which way he went on that issue but I wish that it had more clear movement. I also felt their was a relationship at the end of the book that felt like it came from nowhere.

The ending didn’t hit for me like the rest of the book and like White’s previous novels, but I still thought it was a solid read. The most important thing is that Compound Fracture is compelling and informative enough to make a difference in teen’s lives, which I think is pretty great.

Wtf did I just read? It was almost impossible to put this book down. I'd make it to the end of a chapter to only end up at some kind of fucked up cliff-hanger. Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it. Hurt me more, please, thank you.

Compared to Andrew’s previous books this one is definitely a thriller but with just as much body horror and blood.

Asking me to pick a favourite is like asking me to choose between my cats. I can’t wait to read his adult book if this is what he intends for a younger audience.

eARC provided by Peachtree Teen via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

When one of my Booksta friends posted a review of this ARC, I was so intrigued that I ran to Netgalley to request a copy. I'm so glad I did. This is one of the best books I've read this year.

Sixteen-year-old socialist Miles Abernathy sneaks out to a party on the night he comes out as trans to his parents. He carries proof that Twist Creek County's Sheriff Davies caused the "accident" that injured Miles' dad, killed others, and stopped efforts to unseat Davies. When Davies' son finds out Miles has evidence, Miles is pulled into a century old feud that began when great-great-grandfather Saint Abernathy incited a miners' rebellion that led to a public execution by law enforcement.

Miles' story takes place in 2017 West Virginia, which had the highest percentage of trans youth than any other state that year. Miles isn't the only trans character. Also, in 2017, Trump is sworn in as president. W.V. is a deep red state, but Miles comes from a long line of leftists who put their lives at risk opposing powers that exploit the poor, so he makes it a point to add that not all West Virginians are the same. Despite the Trump/Pence banners in Twist Creek, many residents are ready for an upheaval.

This isn't a tale of revenge. This is about a people's fight against an oppressive sheriff with the help of a young man, who must lean on the strengths of his autism and the guidance of a dead miner's spirit, to put an end to a cycle of cruelty and pain.

I loved that White doesn't shy away from politics and touches on W.V.'s opioid problem, and I was pleasantly surprised by the gore, which gives this read an edge. Miles is unapologetic and doesn't take himself seriously, but he has this urge to defend his family and community. He's the hero I didn't know I needed.

Get this book when it drops on September 3rd, and thank me later.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for this anazing read.

TW: murder, graphic violence, animal harm, opioid dependency, transphobia

Thank you to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for the e-ARC! Spoilers ahead.

I think how long it has taken me to finally write a review for this one is a good indicator of how complicated my feelings about Compound Fracture are. I've been a huge AJW fan for the past couple of years, and was so incredibly excited to be approved for an ARC of this one but it just...didn't live up to the love I have for his other titles.

Compound Fracture feels so different from White's other books. As always, our protagonist is a trans teenager, and as always, a POV character is autistic. One thing I really appreciate about White's dedication to writing trans & autistic characters is how varied his representation is. His autistic characters always have different stims and varying autistic traits, and I love how that influences their characters and the world they occupy (i.e. Silas' surgery special interest, the way Nick will only allow certain safe people around when he stims or is overwhelmed, and how that impacts the group's perception of him).

Maybe it's that this book is so contemporary and grounded in our current world, with notably less supernatural elements than I'm used to, but something about this made it feel so different from the AJW style I'm used to. Every time Miles Googled something on his phone I got jump-scared.

The elements of Appalachian history and Miles' interest in the mining strikes in his community are well-woven throughout and add necessary flavour. Saint Abernathy's ghost is interesting and eerie in his own right, but doesn't do much to advance the plot until the Deus Ex Machina end (don't get me wrong: Good for Him but it was just too convenient after Saint had so little physicality throughout). However, we have less information about the history of the family feud than we should. The mining strikes aspect of it makes sense, but why is the feud centred around Cooper and Dallas' families as well? How are they woven into this when everything we know about the violence between the Davies' and the mining families surrounds the Abernathys?

The revenge-killing plotline was the best part of this book. Cooper's reaction to Miles calling him after accidentally causing the death of Eddie is so interesting, and I appreciate the complex morality at play here. Cooper as a character overall and his form of vigilante justice is so compelling, and the dynamic between him and Miles under the weight of their shared history, their different attitudes toward seeking justice, and the "romantic" subplot that develops between them carries this book.

Until that subplot is dropped entirely.

The biggest issue I have with Compound Fracture is the pacing. It's very stop-start: blasting off right into the action, maintaining tension through Miles' initial scenes in the hospital, meandering through his recovery, picking back up with the death of Eddie and the Cooper-Miles revenge spree, and then just sort of...screeching to slowness before sprinting to the finish line. There were scenes that while thematically relevant, particularly in terms of Miles' emotional journey and relationship with his family, veered away from the forward momentum of this book. I wouldn't necessarily say that Compound Fracture felt like it was trying to do too much, but it did feel distracted.

Cooper's utter 180 also felt rather underdeveloped. While his turn to instability and away from Miles did make sense, the buildup was lacking. It felt like the character we had spent the entire novel with had turned into someone else, rather than feeling like Cooper degenerated. The vitriol was just a little cartoonish, a little too Noah-esque.

The jump-ahead epilogue's issues are also symptomatic of the pacing and lacking character development. The developing QPR between Miles and Dallas felt tacked on for a "happily ever after"; I can buy into it based on their interactions, but the lack of actual development made it so unsatisfying.

I still adore AJW and will still buy everything he writes, but I hope some of these things are further developed for the version hitting the shelves next month. Sadly a 3.5 for me.

Consider me FRACTURED after devouring this book, because it is AMAZING!

Andrew Joseph White is an exceptional author and his talent is undeniable. His three books have showcased a talent for building vicious emotions within me. Then by the end of the story he has directed this anger somewhere it is needed and it winds up being a cathartic release. It's free therapy for directing my queer rage, so I honestly should just be paying him by the hour at this point.

Compound Fracture is a story set in Appalachia, where Miles, our trans main character, comes out, but then in a rapid turn of events, ends up savagely beaten by the town's bullies. Miles happens to be on the wrong side of a century-old feud. Their ancestor was famously pro-union when the mines ruled the county. However, just like their ancestor, Miles has had it with the current way the town is being run, by fear and threats of violence by the Sheriff. Violence strikes when events are set in motion for Miles to team up with other town members to fight back against the monsters.

When I tell you that this story will haunt me for the rest of this year, I am not exaggerating. This is truly EXCELLENCE in writing. Compound Fracture is brutal and violent and visceral and gory and horrible and BEAUTIFUL! It is exactly what you want when Andrew Joseph White tells a story. Our main character is such a beautiful soul and felt so realistic. I felt every ounce of violence exhibited against them and it made me feel beaten by the end of this story. The supporting characters here also make this story so enjoyable.

There were so many parts of this story that had my heart RACING! The action kept me on my toes and I never knew what was coming next. There was one particular moment that had my jaw on the FLOOR. (iykyk). The pacing was quick and I could not put this down. I just had to keep reading to find out what happens. When you sprinkle in the hint of paranormal which is common for AJW, then you will love the twist that comes along with it.

RUN, don't walk to get your copy of this book! You will NOT regret it. It is queer excellence in writing!

I'm gonna say it. Andrew Joseph White just doesn't miss??? I will read anything he has to say lol. Compound Fracture: queer, Appalachia, feuds, community!, revolution??
Love the variety of rep: queer, trans, aro!!!, covert commie in conservative areas. love the writing, the character depth, the relationships, the plot.
deals with heavy topics well and with nuance. a quick read! especially the middle to ending pacing.
my only teeny tiny gripe/complaint/question is about how quickly Miles accepts one of his identities especially with everything that's going on. i think it's a testament to his support system that he feels like it rings true so instantly and is like yeah cool okay, and I guess identities don't have to be forever/are fluid and can change etc. I think I just wish I had that sort of clarity and am projecting lol. yes. everyone read this book if it sounds like your cup of tea!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC.

Compound Fracture was excellent! I’ve loved all of Andrew Joseph White’s books so far. I’m not a huge horror reader but I’ll suck it up for his books! This Appalachian horror novel is a great queer story and I’d absolutely recommend it!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book as I’ve never read AJW’s books before but I found myself really drawn in from the beginning. I REALLY love revenge stories so I figured this was right up my alley. I ended up setting it aside about halfway through because something about it was just not what my brain wanted to read/focus on (all me, not the author) but I will definitely go back to it when I have the mental capacity.

mpound Fracture

Loved this spooky read of political unjust, queer celebration, family ties, and what happens when you mess with the wrong Abernathy. Andrew Joseph White does a phenomenal job of introducing a transgender character, Miles Abernathy, without teetering through the stereotypical “woah is me, I hate myself” trope seen in some popular media. In fact, Miles accepts his identity from the start of the book and never looks back. He grows and learns to transition alongside his family, who demonstrate fantastic stages of understanding Miles’s identity. And that’s not even mentioning the hell he goes through fighting through yet another generation of two families feuding in a bloody war against each other.

When moments in this book needed to be tense, Andrew Joseph White delivered. Story plots bound and weaved together in a very intricate yet perfectly paralleled way. The characters drew you in, and made you feel the grief and apprehension that the Davieses left on Twisted Creek. Just seeing Sheriff Davies name on a page was enough to make me tense up. Each generation, an Abernathy and a Davies have a tragedy happen between the two of them, leaving yet another body to bury. To add onto this, the setting turns rather paranormal after a series of unfortunate events, making you wonder what is happening to our boy Miles?

Now this story does not hold any punches- which actually what I like a lot. Some pieces of writing can get rather gorey in their description, but it adds a feeling of fear to the story to really push how terrifying the overall situation is in Twisted Creek. Miles himself suffers some pretty drastic wounds, as well as some of his friends. But what I love is that the scars are embraced and never make the character any less valuable in the eyes of their family or friends. They’re never depreciated. Miles is still Miles no matter what.

The main character himself is also very fun to read about. Miles is very intrigued by political science and loves to dive into current events both within the story setting and in larger aspects. You will know how he feels about unjust power. You will know how he feels about most things because he is very outright with what he thinks, which is one of my favorite qualities about him. He teaches us about so many different aspects of his life and the story does a great job of putting these aspects into play as well. Such as showing Miles’s discomfort when being misgendered or demonstrating how he feels out of place in conversations sometimes.

Overall greatly enjoyed this read and look forward to more books by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own

If Andrew Joseph White has no fans, I'm dead. I will eat up ANYTHING this man publishes, and Compound Fracture is no exception.

While definitely not as gory as his previous works (cough cough Hell Followed With Us cough cough), I think the violence in this one hit all the more for me because of the contemporary setting. While what he depicted in The Spirit Bares Its Teeth and Hell Followed With Us was definitely poignant and topical, there was a degree of separation due to the genre, while Compound Fracture perfectly reflects America's current day political situation. Every time Trump got mentioned I felt like I was getting jump scared.

I also really love how, despite the violence and blood feuds and bigotry, this was ultimately about coming together as a community, to fight for freedom and to take care of each other. While it wasn't the same found family that I loved in Hell Followed With Us, the depiction of a biological family that cares for each other and works to understand each other was really sweet to see. Even if it involved murder.

This was originally probably gonna be more of a 4.5, but then I read lines like this: 'The union, the company, the workers, and the strikebreakers. Power and money and control; who gets to get away with murder.'

I will sell my SOUL for his Adult debut. And his upcoming YA books. And anything he writes, really.

"Compound Fracture" by Andrew Joseph White is a riveting and intense thriller that delves deep into the complexities of trauma, survival, and the human psyche.

THOUGHTS

On a technical level, I think this book is much better than Hell Followed With Us (I haven't yet read The Spirit Bares Its Teeth to compare). Up to a certain point, I was enjoying this book much more, too, than Andrew Joseph White's debut though both are brutal to read. This book balances bleak and harsh with hopeful very well. But I reached a breaking point where the melodrama here became too much for me.


PROS
Autism Rep: Miles is autistic, and his immediate family members are, too. Not that you'd hear any of them saying that (except, perhaps, Miles as he comes to reckon with this reality). I appreciated the little ways that it is clear this family have adapted to live together and live in the community, despite the alienation that Miles certainly (and his parents, probably) feels. This book is full of masking, yes, but also healthier coping mechanisms--and an emerging support system that Miles starts to find that can help him to better understand himself and how he fits into the world. And I love that.

Reclaimed History: Andrew Joseph White clearly cares about this history of West Virginia, of the poor and rural community he creates here in this book. He weaves into this story the history of the term "redneck" and its connection to labor movements--something obviously very important to Miles. He reclaims a lot of history that has been twisted to become rather, well, derogatory. And his love for West Virginia, shining through Miles, is clear. Miles recognizes the danger he is in within his community, and at the same time, he's unwilling to give up his home, his history, and his heritage. And he shouldn't have to.

Family Fumbles: Miles's family doesn't get it right when he comes out to them, and as hard as this is to read, it is also more honest than a lot of (idealistic) YA books propose. But Miles's family, though they don't understand and they do hurt him in their responses, don't mean to harm him. His mom wrestles with accepting him as he is. His Mamaw just plain can't comprehend what he's telling her. But when it comes down to it--when Miles needs them to rally around him and understand what, exactly, he's up against--they're absolutely there at his back, ready to jump into the fight when he needs them. And that's so wonderful.


CONS
Transphobia: This book is laced with transphobia. Miles's community isn't exactly open and willing to accept him. Miles is also still transitioning. He comes out to his family in the first chapter, and things don't go smoothly (though they don't go as poorly as they could). His deadname is sprinkled liberally throughout these pages, and this small aggression is really the least of his worries when hate crimes against him prove a very tangible future. If this is something you can't stomach (or don't want to immerse yourself in at the moment), this might be a book to set aside for a later date.

Romantic Subplot: I know some of this ick factor was on purpose. I get that. But the love interest subplot just didn't feel necessary to me, and so because it was particularly uncomfortable to read, I wasn't a fan. Others might disagree, since it does add a layer of complexity here to these characters. I just didn't think the tradeoff was enough.

Unhinged: Don't get me wrong. This book is never exactly "hinged" (and readers heading into an AJ White book really shouldn't expect that). But this book reaches such a frenzied pitch in its climax that I had a hard time enjoying. This book is particularly realist in tone (if extreme at times), so this absolutely wild ending just didn't quite jive as well as it could have with the rest of the book. Not in my estimation, anyway.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Fans of Matteo L. Cerilli's Lockjaw will love diving into this twistedly insular small town community. Those who loved Jenna Voris's Every Time You Hear That Song will adore Miles's commitment to his hometown and his messy heritage.

Thank you PeachTree Teen and NetGalley for the ARC!

Wooh this book was a doozy! I wasn’t sure what kind of book this was going to be but I thoroughly enjoyed this tense and tumultuous ride.

Watching Miles try to navigate the shit show of a century’s old blood feud felt like watching a hurt animal fight for its life. Fierce, terrified, and above all, desperate to live. Desperate to be known— to know himself and be accepted by those around him. He was just a kid forced to do terrible things and I loved everything about him.

As always, AJW’s writing was absolutely phenomenal. He’s got such a visceral way of writing that makes you feel like you’re struggling right there with the characters. This was definitely a new setting for me, but 2016 in the Appalachias was truly the perfect setting for this story about cycles oppression and he devastation it wreaks on both sides.

Personally this is not my favorite AJW book, since I like a little more ghosts and monsters in my stories. But this was still really fantastic! Overall 4.5 :)

Proud West Virginian and socialist Miles wants revenge for a generations deep family feud. The local sheriff and his son and friends will do anything to keep their crimes buried deep.

I love AJW. This is my least favorite of his books but it's still great. It's beautiful and viscerally written. It a violent revenge story, perfect for fans of slasher films. I love that this was unapologetically Appalachian and shows that people from West Virginia are not stupid.

Andrew Joseph White has fast become one of my Immediate Yes authors, and this is no different.

White has carved a niche of autistic trans boys surviving in a world that is actively trying to break them, leading them to exact revenge on those who have wronged them. But each offering is starkly different and entirely unique and I am here for it!

What I loved most about Compound Fracture was the realistic portrayal of a family who love their queer kid but just don't 'get it' yet, and their progression towards 'that's my kid and I love them for who they are'. As always, fantastic autistic and queer rep - Miles is so explicitly autistic-coded that I didn't realize that he hadn't realized yet! I felt all the feelings with him as he learned more about himself there.

I wish there was a bit more of a clearer intro to the feud itself, I found myself flicking back and forward to remind myself who was who/who killed who. And I can't remember how Dallas ended up in the car to begin with? I think even an illustrated timeline could've helped.

Either way I love it and will absolutely be recommending. For those unfamiliar with AJW's work I would still recommend reading Hell Follows With Us first - and absolutely check out the laundry list of content warnings. Once you've cleared that, have at it!

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White follows Miles, a young trans man who survives an attempted murder that spurns him into action.

Every book by this author is so different from the last but still has that common thread of a trans teen learning to get by in a world that is against them-just set against completely different backdrops. I really loved the setting of this one. Appalachia is such a unique area of the United States and books that are set in that area usually have great atmosphere.

I really loved Miles as a character. He was complex and had to try and make a lot of decisions that were very difficult. The side characters really added to the story to fully flesh it out. I just loved this book. It definitely leans more into the thriller category and I flew through it. I read it in a single sitting which is not something I do often.

I went into this book blind and that was a great way to experience it. I have read both of this author’s previous books so I kind of knew what to expect. That being said, there is a pretty lengthy content warning list. Should you need to look at that list, the author has it on his website as well as on the Goodreads page for this book.

The cover is a little creepy and there is a dog on it. Her name is Lady and she is so sweet. You don’t need to worry about her through the book. I know that is a big thing for some people so I just want to make sure you know going in that things will be okay for her. Maybe not okay for everyone else though.