Originally posted at The Winner's Book Thief. 
 Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars 
 "Why choose fear over love? In what world does that make sense?" 
 One word (or maybe two words? I don't even know anymore): Instalove. I know I shriek about the stupidity of this trope all the time, but maybe that's just indication that authors should stop using it. Just by reading this blurb, you can tell that Flora and Henry are going to be lovers. In the first scene that Henry meets Flora, he's all like OMG I LOVE YOU. That being said, I loved both Henry and Flora and how they were both just incredibly determined in their own ways. 
 This book takes place in the 1930s, and so there are lots of racism and prejudice, and since Flora is black, we get to see a lot of that. Brockenbrough wrote these scenes really beautifully and I was thoroughly engaged.