Avie Reveare has the normal life of a privileged teen growing up in L.A., at least as normal as any girl’s life is these days. After a synthetic hormone in beef killed fifty million American women ten years ago, only young girls, old women, men, and boys are left to pick up the pieces. The death threat is past, but fathers still fear for their daughters’ safety, and the Paternalist Movement, begun to "protect" young women, is taking over the choices they make.
Like all her friends, Avie still mourns the loss of her mother, but she’s also dreaming about college and love and what she’ll make of her life. When her dad "contracts" her to marry a rich, older man to raise money to save his struggling company, her life suddenly narrows to two choices: Be trapped in a marriage with a controlling politician, or run. Her lifelong friend, student revolutionary Yates, urges her to run to freedom across the border to Canada. As their friendship turns to passion, the decision to leave becomes harder and harder. Running away is incredibly dangerous, and it’s possible Avie will never see Yates again. But staying could mean death.
From Catherine Linka comes this romantic, thought-provoking, and frighteningly real story, A Girl Called Fearless , about fighting for the most important things in life—freedom and love.
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From School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up—Los Angeles, just a bit in the future, is a distressing place for females. Most adult women have died from side effects of hormone-laden beef, and the Paternalists may soon win political majority, passing even harsher "protective" measures to encourage child bearing and domesticity. Avie Reveare and her friends at Masterson Academy have become experts at eye blinks, bribes, stitch code, and other creative means to avoid security detection as they practice independence under the direction of their teacher, Ms. A. Meanwhile, they see college recruitment posters replaced by recipe cards, and discuss who might be sold into a marriage contract, and at what price. The best girls are auctioned through Sotheby's and Christie's—verified virgins who will honor and obey. Avie, aided by her childhood friend (now romantic interest) Yates, decides to head for Canada when her financially desperate father contracts her to a man twice her age. All the popular dystopian elements are in place: overbearing government, tech-savvy friend, thwarted love, a "makeover" where plain girls are made attractive to men, physically challenging situations, and small amounts of gun play. The short chapters keep the action moving in this solid selection, best for readers who enjoy plot-driven stories.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX
Review
"A deftly plotted portrait of the evolution of a teenage girl into a dystopian heroine."—Kirkus Reviews
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"Linka’s world-building is detailed and thought-provoking, recalling aspects of Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale."— Horn Book Review
"The concept of a nation mourning multiple generations of women (other countries had long since banned American meat) is gripping, and the action flows at a steady and satisfying pace, propelling readers through to the cliffhanger ending...There is something achingly vulnerable in this novel where almost everyone seems to search in vain that will likely linger with readers."— Center of Children's Books Review
"Gripping, memorable, and heartrending. An ordinary girl becomes extraordinary in her fight for freedom."— C.C. Hunter, NYT bestselling author, Shadow Falls series
"Breathlessly written and terrifying in its implications, Linka's debut is not only a thriller but a warning."— Gennifer Albin, author of Crewel
"With a frightening reality, a forbidden romance, and a main character to root for, Fearless is a riveting read."— Megan Miranda, author of Fracture
"With civil liberties on the ropes and paternalism gone rampant, it’s time for a brave young heroine to ring out the news. Can it be merely coincidence that her name is Reveare?"— Tim Wynne-Jones, author of Blink & Caution "The short chapters keep the action moving in this solid selection, best for readers who enjoy plot-driven stories."—Kirkus Reviews “I find myself wanting to demand the sequel right now, this very second, to find out just what Avie has planned and what was in Sparrow's message. All in all, very dystopian, very hard (emotionally) to read and very interesting.” —USA TODAY