3.5 stars

Thank you to PeachTree Teen and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Tws: Graphic Violence, Queerphobia, Ableism, Transphobia

Compound Fracture follows Miles Abernathy, a 16-year old trans and autistic teen, as they/them battles a decades-old struggle stretching generations - from when their great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, led a rebellion that eventually led to his execution on a railroad spike. In West Virginia where the Fed holds (albeit corrupt) power over the common folks, bullying and incrimination run rampant. When Miles decides that he has had enough, he teams up with Cooper, a childhood friend with the same intentions to expose the corruption and free the commoners from the unfair treatment by sheriffs in power.

I loved the Spirit Bares its Teeth, so I had rather high expectations for Compound Fracture. While I think Compound Fracture was a pretty solid book, I unfortunately did not connect to the story as much as I expected. I have to admit that I didn’t quite follow some parts; and as I did not read the synopsis (in typical xinyan fashion), I did not realise that Miles was autistic till somewhere over the halfway mark.

The violence was quite jarring and sudden; while it wasn’t as apparent as in TSBIT, I found myself shocked at certain scenes. However, I enjoyed the ending as it came full circle from the beginning, which added another 0.25 stars to my rating (And I loved the reference to a certain weapon, even though it was relatively painful to read).

Altogether, I would say that I was a little disappointed as I did not connect to the story and characters as much as TSBIT, but the writing has definitely improved, and I look forward to future works by Andrew.

THIS BOOK MADE ME CRY AND RAGE SO MANY TIMES. As an AuDHD (and bi) individual I felt so seen and exposed in this storyline. Not gonna lie, after I read this, I looked into some history to see if there was a coal mining disaster that this book could be based on. I did find a potential mining disaster - the Granite Mountian (North Butte Mining Company) Disaster of 1917 (I could totally be wrong but I learned some cool history with my research). Anyways, this story takes you on an adventure of a century old family feud (think the Hatfields and the McCoys) and follows the point of view of an trans autistic individual that raised a lot of hell. The small town corruption is real. The riots? Justified. This book is a new favorite I will 100% be recommending this to EVERYONE!!! Another masterpiece from one of my favorite authors *chef’s kiss* and can we talk about how genius this book cover design is?? I love the artwork so much!

[Thank you Netgalley, Holiday House/Peachtree/Pixel + Ink, and Andrew Joseph White for the eARC!]

Compound Fracture was a breathless, beautiful, heartbreaking ride from the first page to the last. I loved Miles, and found him to be a completely captivating character—he was so real, and his emotional reactions, as well as the way that he was masking and reflecting them back to the more neurotypical characters around him was very true-to-life. It was refreshing to read about an autistic main character, and to see him recognize and understand himself as a person who was disabled and neurotypical. It was also refreshing to see that many of the other characters were disabled, queer, trans, and neurodiverse; it made me feel more at home in the world that Andrew Joseph White created, because it more accurately reflects the world that I live in. Speaking of trans characters, Saint was such a refreshing person (spirit? ghost? figment of Miles’ imagination?) for Miles (and the reader) to see that trans folks have always existed, even though they are so often written (or ignored) out of existence.

I thought that the setting was also amazing—West Virginia has such a rich history in labor revolution. The setting was what initially drew me to this novel—I lived in West Virginia for several years, and the landscape, people, and older-than-bone (thank you Andrew Joseph White for that phrase) lore really made an impact on my life. I thought the addition of the mining disaster, as well as the other historical tidbits that were thrown in served to strengthen my connection to Miles, and especially to his activism—and the ways in which he loves his home, but also knows that there are deep, weeping wounds in the landscape and in the people. I think that’s really what hooked me into this book—that Miles sees this struggle, and aligns it with his own, but still wants to make it better. Even when he is hit when he’s down, he still wants to care for the land and its people; that there is beauty, still, even underneath the blood.

Thank you so much to Andrew Joseph White for this ARC!

5 stars. I was completely engrossed in this book. I really appreciated the family dynamics. Older generations often serve only as an obstacle for a YA protagonist to overcome, and that wasn’t the case in this book. The characters can be hurtful and messy towards each other but are given the opportunity and grace to grow (which was refreshing to see.) My favourite so far of Andrew Joseph Whites books, and I’m now impatiently awaiting his next. Thank you NetGally for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of AJW's newest young adult Appalachian horror novel. I had high expectations for this book, some of them were met, some were not.

Miles Abernathy is a trans teen living in Twist Creek, West Virginia—an old miner's town with a centuries old blood feud between the Abernathys and the Davies. When Miles finds evidence that Sherriff Davies was responsible for a horrific accident that injured his dad and killed others, he decides to take the feud into his own hands. Once the sheriff's son realizes that Miles possesses this evidence, he and his friends beat Miles nearly to death. While Miles is in the hospital, he becomes haunted by a century-old miner. Miles and his community must find away to fight back against Sheriff Davies and the decades of injustices he has brought upon the town of Twist Creek.

The beginning of this story had me hooked, the middle had me losing interest, and by the end I wasn't sure about the believability of the novel as a whole. Don't get me wrong, I know that hatred and violence like this exists in America, but the gruesomeness of it (displayed by the younger characters) was a little difficult to swallow. I know this is a horror/thriller novel, but that aspect of the story took me out of it a little bit. All in all, I enjoyed this book, but it was not my favorite from AJW.

Thank you to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was fortunate to receive an e-arc of Compound Fracture and I (like all his other works) devoured it with insatiable hunger. Andrew Joseph White never fails to grab the reader’s emotions in his grasp and mess with them until you are left like your innards are gouged out. White uniquely explores different nuances and experiences of gender and neurodivergence within all his works and this is no exception, it’s brilliantly written exploring tranness in less progressive states, the pressure to mask as to not appear “special” and the confusion surrounding being a teenager trying to figure out your sexuality.

My roommate was also lucky enough to receive the arc and they said something that stuck with me. They said that Compound Fracture is “an ode to the working class”, I could not put it into better words myself. I was speechless from the first paragraph, it perfectly encompasses the feeling of desperation, fear, belonging and most importantly ANGER when fighting in a class war, especially one with corrupt authorities in power.

The characters are so easy hate and love, every one of them are completely unashamed of who they are and what makes them different. The book screams “I am disfigured, I am trans, I am queer, I am a socialist and I am neurodivergent! And what of it?”. Or in some cases “I’m a gigantic asshole!” (Looking at you Pig) Its chaotic and heart warming, no, heart melting. It delves into themes of family learning and growing alongside together, LGBTQIA+ people always existing, and falling in love with a place and its people in spite of the problems it has.

Although it had less “horror” than his other works, at the end of the day capitalism and cops are the real horrors.

Thank you Netgalley for the bragging rights this opportunity gives me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC and the opportunity to read and review Compound Fracture early! After reading and adoring The Spirit Bares Its Teeth back in March, I decided to add AJW to my instant-buy list, having total faith in his ability to blow my mind with his work. This book did not let me down. I inhaled it in 24 hours flat.

“It’s just the way it is” … but, does it have to be?

Compound Fracture is both a love letter to- and a call to action for- the working class. It forces readers to look the political state of the world dead in the eye and acknowledge how much better mankind deserves. Throughout Miles’ story, I felt grief, outrage, fear, joy, and relief so wholly, it felt completely real. White blends history and fiction and theory to create yet another masterpiece that screams “WE DESERVE BETTER”.

Miles’ character has such a beautifully clear narrative voice throughout, that grows and evolves as the story progresses, whilst still maintaining the tones and quirks that make it clearly him. The immersive nature of Miles’ narration helped to create an all-encompassing story that had me frantically turning pages to read on.

As always, White has included a wonderful diverse cast of characters that are so well written, owing both to his own experiences and evident efforts to research and accurately represent those identities. Miles’ transness and his family’s growth in accepting him was so healing to read and cracked my heart right open. As an agender person who struggles with binary gender expression due to my weight, reading about the wealth of love and acceptance in Dallas’ small community was one of the most important and affirming things I’ve had the privilege of reading. Seeing Amber’s processes and quirks that help to manage the less fun parts of being autistic—and stealing some of those tricks for myself—had me crying on public transport.

All in all, Compound Fracture is a must read—for trans folk, for autistic people, for anyone that has just had enough of the world as it is. It will be a confronting, bumpy, scary ride, but you will thank yourself for picking this one up. While you’re at it, pick up the rest of White’s work for more autistic trans kids learning to navigate the terrifying world they live in.

Andrew Joseph White is incapable of writing anything but masterpieces for me. This was, once again, an easy five stars from me. This book truly has everything I look for in a horror book, or really any genre. It starts with such a bang, in my opinion, and only gets more intense from there. It had me anxious the whole time which is usually a sign I'm enjoying a horror book. By the end of the book my heart was racing in my chest and I was trying hard not to skip ahead while reading because I was so invested in what was going on.

I immediately felt a connection to the MC, Miles. I saw myself in him and felt deeply for him throughout everything he deals with in this brutal story. I appreciated his relationship with his parents and how, even though it wasn't perfect, it felt real. Cole was a character that I found myself going back and forth on my thoughts on. On one hand, I understood where he was coming from and how he got to the places he did. But on another hand, I just wanted to hate him for a lot of the book because of how badly he frustrated me. He felt so real though. He felt like a true complex character that wasn't just one thing and had depth to him. I ultimately appreciated that a lot from his character. I wish we got to see a bit more of Dallas as a character. They were such an interesting aspect of the story and seemed like they could've had a lot of depth to them as well but I did feel like they were mostly there to aid Miles as a character rather than stand on their own.

Overall, I am not at all surprised by how much I thoroughly enjoyed this and I cannot wait for more books from Andrew in the future.

If I had to complain about something, it that this is a little teachy for me personally, but really I’m just so glad Andrew Joseph White is writing these books. I love how personal this one feels and I love the setting and premise. Queer teens deserve fucked up horror!

2 ☆

I’m in the minority on this one, but I found Compound Fracture to be a major disappointment. Having loved The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, I thought I would enjoy this as well. Based on the synopsis, Compound Fracture actually seemed much more up my alley than The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, however, clearly I was wrong in my assumption. While there was certainly some interesting scenes, majority of the book bored me. The villians were incredibly cartoonish, the feuding family war felt overdramticized and ridiculous, and the characters all felt like caricatures rather than fleshed-out people. Unfortunately, this did not live up to the hype and I wouldn’t recommend it.

4.75 stars*

This felt very different from White’s previous two novels, but I really enjoyed it. Definitely a little less horror and a little more thriller. The anger and teeth I’ve come to expect were still very much at the forefront of this story. I felt very seen in the autistic rep in this book.

I think the protagonists in Compound Fracture took a lot more premeditated action against their oppressors than previous books and have to come to terms with what they’re willing to do to survive and protect their loved ones. I really liked that we got to see Miles discover more about himself even as he’s dealing with this overwhelming threat looming over him. Instead of religious trauma we have a lot of class conflict and an interesting look at the history of unions and violence in West Virginia.

The second half of the book felt a little rushed to me, I would have liked it to be a little longer and more fleshed out.

I really loved this book and, just like his other books, this was impossible to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink | Peachtree Teen, and Andrew Joseph White for an ARC of "Compound Fracture." in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I first discovered Andrew Joseph White last summer and have fallen in love with his writings. When I saw "Compound Fracture" available as an ARC, I was very happy. Even without reading it, I knew it would be great, and White managed to exceed my expectations.

"Compound Fracture" follows Miles Abernathy, a queer teen in Appalachia, West Virginia, who is caught up in a generational blood feud.

I grew up in a small, rural Appalachia-adjacent town, and while there's no blood feud I know of, I greatly sympathize with Miles. Everyone knows everyone else's business; there are strict socio-economic divides; being queer/different in any way usually puts a target on your back; politics in small towns are the absolute worst (especially when you disagree with the majority of your neighbors). This puts enormous pressure on the younger generations to grow up faster, and Miles is no different. He is constantly warring with himself about whether to do the right thing or protect his family and friends. No seventeen-year-old kid should have to be worried about that. Instead, they should be enjoying their childhood and summer vacation.

The book opens with a celebration that should be fun and happy, but it soon turns deadly for Miles simply because of an old blood feud. Miles then has to recover from the terrible attack without remembering anything that happened. He is also faced with growing pressure not to remember who attacked him. As the story progresses, he slowly gains more confidence to do what is right and what is needed to protect his family, no matter the cost. Miles is determined to put an end to the blood feud. He also realizes that while other town members aren't directly involved in the blood feud, they would still benefit from it ending. When another teenager mysteriously disappears and another is found dead, Miles realizes that the blood feud must end. By any means necessary.

I loved so much about this book, the first being the relationship Miles has with his dog and the relationship he has with his family. His family has tried their best to protect him from the gruesomeness of the blood feud, but unfortunately, it's something that Miles had learned about because he was an Abernathy, and nothing they could do could protect him from that. His dog is his best friend, and he's constantly worried about her being killed in retaliation for him being an Abernathy. Another thing that I loved about this book was its talk about politics and how so many people assume everyone living in West Virginia is conservative. Historically, those living in Appalachia were the first US socialists. I think having those discussions about politics is very important in today's world. There's also a bit of a "found family" trope that I absolutely adored.

The only thing that bothered me a bit about this book was that the end felt rushed, but it still didn't detract from the storytelling, and I can understand why White decided to increase the pacing drastically in the last few chapters. Another thing that I didn't like about the book was a death that occurs. To me, it seemed unnecessary, but once again, I can understand why it was necessary and how it keeps the story moving.

This is such a fantastic read; I can't wait for it to come out so I can purchase it. I will definitely recommend it to all my reader friends.

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars.

Once again I am reminded why Andrew Joseph White is one of my favorite authors. Everything he writes has me gripped from the first page until the very last.

"What's law enforcement except a group of people legally allowed to hurt you without cause? I don't trust no one with that kind of power."

A burtal story of the struggles of the working class and the ones who exploit them.

I adored Miles as a main character and loved being inside his head throughout this book. White's trans and autistic rep in his books is so important and I cannot wait to see what he writes in the future.

✨ ARC review – Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White ✨

(No quote this time cause I accidentally reset my kobo and lost my notes on the ebook 💀)

⚠️ cw: transphobia, death, murder, detailed injury, gun violence, fire injury, car accident, disfigurement, vomit, animal cruelty (and more, but the book contains content warnings itself!)

Second @netgalley ARC done and dusted (a while ago actually) and I finally got around to reviewing it. I picked this one up cause I really enjoyed White's debut, and when I saw the announcement it was available on NetGalley, I jumped on the hype train. Thanks for sending it my way!

The story is set in the Appalachia region of the United States. It follows Miles and his attempt to end the feud that has been impacting his family for generations, beginning with the miner strike that led to Miles' great-grandfather's murder. The war between the Abernathy family and the oppressive authority of Sheriff Davies could end with the evidence Miles has found – however, just as he's about to find a way to reveal them, he's brutally attacked and left severely injured.

Man, this was GOOD. I enjoyed Hell Followed With Us, but you can very clearly see a stark improvement from White's debut both in the content and the form of this latest release. The writing is mature, the voices are distinct, the story is elaborate and detailed, and everything simply begs you to turn the page and find out what's going to happen next.

I love White and his gay transmasc autistic MCs. Miles comes out at the very beginning of the book, and while his transness is an important characteristic of his being and something that is used against him, it's never the focus of the story. But damn if it doesn't make me feel seen all the same.

The focus, instead, is family. By blood or by choice, Miles gets results because of the support of those around him, because of community and love and care, and I think that's an absolutely fantastic message to send, especially to trans teens. Not everybody is gonna get it, or say or do the right things immediately, but that doesn't mean they won't be there for you when it matters.

Overall, go preorder this – it's 100% worth it!

Compound Fracture is my first real delve into Andrew Joseph White and truly wasn't a disappointment.

This is Andrew Joseph White's best book. Hands down.

The pacing in this book is wonderfully done. There were no lulls or boring stints that took you out of the book. The multiple points of representation were expertly handled and were very realistically represented. The characters were fully fleshed out and relatable. The strength and drive of the main character was a high point for me as a reader. Lady is the bestest girl there ever was. I loved the animal bestie.

I will recommend and scream this book praises from every rooftop that there is. I wish I could give it more than five stars.

4.5
Once again White gives us a book that is beautifully written, full of great (main) characters and wonderful representation. As an autistic person it can be so hard to find a book with actually GOOD autistic rep, and just like with his last book this one was great. Seeing a character, and a badass at that, experience the same things I do feels so validating. Along with the autism rep there is also great trans and aromantic rep!
It's a strong and compelling story with very important conversations, espacially in the political climate we live in now.
The only 'issue', and I hesitate to call it that, was with the pacing I think. (Please keep in mind I am not an American, have never been to America and live in a non-English speaking country so this could very well be just on my end!)

E-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review, thank you!

There were several things I liked about this book and several I didn’t. Overall, I enjoyed it, and it’s a book I’d read again, but it is my least favorite of White’s books so far.

What I liked:

Miles’s family felt very real. They were messy and tight-knit and looked out for each other. The clumsy way they handled him coming out felt realistic and reminded me of how people I know have handled me coming out to them. It was refreshing to see a reaction that wasn’t entirely negative or entirely positive, the messy and awkward makes it feel real. I can heavily relate to the way Miles’s parents handled his autistic traits as a child. The line (to paraphrase) “they’ll think our [son’s] special” to get him to stop stimming reminds me of how my parents reacted to me as a child. His parents care about appearances, but they also care about Miles and do their best to help him navigate a sensorially hostile environment in the best way they know how.

I enjoyed all of Miles’s interactions with Saint, and I especially enjoyed it never being clarified as to if Saint was some sort of hallucination or an apparition. Saint’s appearances or lack thereof acted as a visualization of Miles’s moral compass; when Saint distances himself or disappears entirely, it’s at times Miles internally knows that what he’s doing is wrong. I enjoyed the details of Miles finding out Saint was trans; he already looked up to his ancestor, but this gave him an extra special connection and insight into who Saint was as a person.

Many of the side characters were great. Dallas was by far my favorite and I wish we had gotten to see more of them; their family was also good. I have mixed feelings about Cooper, I liked him a lot in the beginning, but that started to dwindle as time went on, and his characterization took a sharp turn part way through without there being much of an explanation for it, which I suppose leads into…

What I didn’t like:

The plot and pacing felt like they were all over the place at times. The beginning of the story was very cohesive and enjoyable, but as the book progressed things started to get confusing in a way I don’t believe is a narrative device. Characterization became inconsistent with no on page reasoning. Certain characters had information without any clear explanation of how they found out (for example: Noah outing Miles, it was never explained how Noah found out he was trans/went by Miles unless I missed something).

This book a lot like watching a gymnastics trick that starts out great, falters in the middle, then stumbles on the landing. It wasn’t by any means a bad book, but it certainly isn’t the author’s best work. There were more things I liked about it than things I disliked, but the issues with consistency and pacing take away from what would otherwise be a very good book.

I loved this book! I will forever read anything written by this author, and I was thrilled to get a copy of his third book. As someone who is non-binary and autistic, I always relate to his main characters in a way that I just haven't really felt with any other books I've read. And growing up in a depressed area of Appalachia, this one hit home even more. The last 20% of the book had me crying, shaking my head in disbelief and crying some more. What an emotional ride this book was! I can't wait for the book to be released later this year so I can own the hardcover of it!

Compound Fracture is a book that I've been looking forward to since Andrew Joseph White started posting about it, ESPECAILLY with it being set in Appalachia. White has an absolute talent for writing horror in ways that are new, different, and horrific for each of his books, and that's part of the reason I love his writing so much. I could see so much of myself in the main character of Compound Fracture, Miles as a trans autistic myself. The book being set in more recent times made it much different that Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, but I loved it as it was able to use things like cell phones as narrative devices, and there were several text conversations throughout. All in all, I am anxiously awaiting the release of Compound Fracture so I can purchase a copy and proudly display with all my other Andrew Joseph White books!