Galdoni by Cheree Alsop

[SPReader16]

After escaping from “the Academy,” a genetically engineered gladiator with wings attempts to assimilate into high school society with the help of several students who saved his life. The humorously accurate depiction of high school, and the subtle nuances of the environment, become something any student can relate to as Kale and his classmates address the day-to-day concerns of life as a teenager. The narrative contains little nuggets of wisdom about coming of age and the struggle of trying to decide what kind of person you want to become. A noticeable absence of reliable adults leads to young characters taking their own initiative. Kale demonstrates the power of the individual to enact change themselves.

The book sends positive messages to youth about their worth in society, but some of the issues are fleeting moments in the larger work filling the lull between Kale’s initial escape and the climax at the book’s conclusion. All antagonists within the text receive beatings for their transgressions, but no further consequences. The vigilante justice leaves criminals at large and the issues they created largely unresolved. After the high intensity opening, the drudgery of high school slows the excitement of the plot and trivializes the secondary conflicts in comparison to the gravity of Kale’s fugitive status.

Questions regarding nature and nurture and genetic experimentation permeate throughout the text demonstrating the impracticality of taking a binary perspective on such issues. However, the first person narration fell a little short of its potential to amplify the impact of Kale’s mental turmoil as he struggles to decide if he has a soul and whether or not he can consider himself a “good” person. He is haunted by the violence he has been forced to commit and struggles with his desire to be close to people despite endangering them by his presence.

Alsop has published many other books, including two other fantasy series. Although I have no intention of continuing with the series, it would fit well in the library of fans of other young adult, fantasy series.