Joy McCullough

We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire Joy McCullough

From the author of the acclaimed Blood Water Paint, a new contemporary YA novel in prose and verse about a girl struggling with guilt and a desire for revenge after her sister's rapist escapes with no prison time.

Em Morales's sister was raped after a frat party. A jury found the attacker guilty on all counts-a remarkable verdict that Em felt more than a little proud of, since her passionate social-media advocacy helped dissuade the DA from settling for a plea deal.

But victory is short-lived. Justice vanishes as the judge turns the Morales family's world upside down again by sentencing the rapist to no prison time. While her family is stunned, Em is sick with rage and guilt. To make matters worse, Em tells a reporter the sentence makes her want to learn to use a sword-and the news clip goes viral.

Em must find a new reason to fight on, and it comes in the unlikely form of the story of a fifteenth-century French noblewoman, Marguerite de Bressieux, legendary as an avenging knight for rape victims.

We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire is a searing and nuanced portrait of a young woman torn between a persistent desire for revenge and a burning need for hope.