Blog tour and review: Better Must come by Desmond Hall

 

Title:  Better Must Come

Author: Desmond Hall

Genre:  YA Suspence

Publication Date :  June 4, 2024

Publisher:  Atheneum/Caitlin Dlouhy Books

Rating:  💥💥💥💥💥

About the book

Barely Missing Everything meets American Street in this fiercely evocative, action-packed young adult thriller that looks at the darker side of light-filled Jamaica and how a tragedy and missing drug money helplessly entangle the lives of two teens who want to change their fate.

Deja is a “barrel girl”—one of the Jamaican kids who get barrels full of clothes, food, and treats shipped to them from parents who have moved to the US or Canada to make more money. Gabriel is caught up in a gang and desperate for a way out. When he meets Deja at a party, he starts looking for a way into her life and wonders if they could be a part of each other’s futures.

Then, one day while out fishing, Deja spies a go-fast boat stalled out by some rocks, smeared with blood. Inside, a badly wounded man thrusts a knapsack at her, begging her to deliver it to his original destination, and to not say a word. She binds his wounds, determined to send for help and make good on her promise…not realizing that the bag is stuffed with $500,000 American. Not realizing that the posse Gabriel is in will stop at nothing to get their hands on this bag—or that Gabriel’s and her lives will intersect in ways neither ever imagined, as they both are forced to make split-second choices to keep the ones they love most alive.

My thoughts

I went into this story a little blind, and I'm so glad I did.  This was such an emotional ride that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.  I could really relate to Deja's character, being the oldest daughter to younger siblings and some of the pressure and responsibilities that role entails.  I got a little scared for a moment as I was reading, wondering what was going to happen next.  The characters were well written, and there was si much growth for several of them.  If ypu like books with a lot of surprises,  then I think you'll enjoy this one.

About the Author

Desmond Hall is a Jamaican born author whose debut YA novel, YOUR CORNER DARK, is a fast-paced thriller that has been described as American Street meets Long Way Down. This searing and gritty novel takes an unflinching look at the harsh realities of gang life in Jamaica and how far a teen is willing to go for family. The book confronts police brutality, “Colorism”, gang culture and political deception.

He graduated Marquette University with a BA in Journalism and was selected for the “Who’s Who of American College Students.”

He’s written and directed an HBO feature movie, “A Day in Black and White” which was nominated for the Gordon Parks Award. He’s also written and directed a full-length stage play, “Stockholm, Brooklyn” that won the Audience Award at the Downtown Theater Festival at the Cherry Lane theater. The play was also picked for the Public Theater's New Works Series.

For two years, he worked as a high school Biology and English teacher in Brooklyn, NY. In this period of his life he also counseled teenage ex-cons after their release from Rikers Island Correctional Institution.

As an advertising creative director, he’s written many TV campaigns, two Superbowl commercials and won multiple awards while running the creative side of Spike Lee’s advertising agency.

While working in the advertising and film industry he’s served on the board of the Partnership for a Drug Free America, the Advertising Council, judged the One Show, Addys and the NYC Downtown Film Festival. He’s also been named one of Variety magazine’s Top 50 Creatives to Watch.

"The best way to describe Your Corner Dark, is to say it’s a stomach-knotter. It’s one of those tales that ties you up, turns you inside-out, wrings you like a wet cloth. Desmond Hall leaves us no choice but to root for Frankie Green, a young man in Jamaica doing everything he can to claw himself out of the bear trap of his environment, that has transformed him, not exactly into a bear, but definitely into more than just a good boy. Take note—Hall is a hurricane of a writer." --Jason Reynolds, author of New York Times bestseller Long Way Down

"A riveting, fiercely heartfelt and gutsy exploration of one boy's determination to wrest control over his own life, on his own terms. Readers will find it impossible not to root for Frankie as he is confronted with one impossible choice after another. Your Corner Dark is a memorable and unmissable debut by an author to watch." --Courtney Summers, author of the New York Times bestseller Sadie