Review: Love, Justice by Elaine Fraser

Warning: Biased Review Ahead ...

I provided Elaine Fraser with manuscript assessment and copyediting services for Love, Justice (via my freelance editing business), so there is a degree to which this review might be biased. Or maybe I liked Love, Justice because I could relate to Justice, who seems to have more courage to stand up for herself than I ever did at her age!

Justice is seventeen, and finds most of the teens at school are shallow and more concerned about finding the right dress for the Graduation Ball than thinking about others. She’s got bigger dreams than her schoolmates, dreams to make a difference in an unjust world. When she meets Seth at a peace rally, she is inspired to be just like him, travelling the world and making a difference. But she soon finds there are opportunities to make a difference right at home … especially when her father springs a bombshell on the family.

I very much enjoyed Love, Justice . It’s written in a chatty voice which makes it an easy read, and easy to get involved in Justice’s life. Justice is a likeable character who is on a personal journey to find a way she can make a difference in her life, asking questions typical for this age group. (It doesn’t seem that long since I was a searching young idealist myself, yet now I have my own teenage daughter).

In many ways, Justice has gone out of her way to make sure she doesn’t fit in with her schoolmates, with her “unstylish” hair and Doc Martens. But as the story progresses she realises that she’s judged the “cool” kids (especially Perfect Mercy) based on the way they look as well, and she gradually learns that it’s what’s inside that counts.

While Love, Justice has definite Christian themes, I believe it’s a novel that any teen searching for their identity will enjoy. Love, Justice is the sequel to Perfect Mercy, but can easily be read as a standalone novel. You can find out more about Elaine Fraser at her website.