The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King
Release Date: February 1, 2009
Publisher: Flux
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 336
In the late seventeenth century, famed teenage pirate Emer Morrisey was on the cusp of escaping the pirate life with her one true love and unfathomable riches when she was slain and cursed with "the dust of one hundred dogs," dooming her to one hundred lives as a dog before returning to a human body-with her memories intact.
Now she's a contemporary American teenager and all she needs is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica.
Lucky for me Amazon, released this one a little early and I was able to snag a copy a couple weeks ago. It was just like finding my own buried treasure!! Lame, I know. Moving on... Initially I was skeptical. I mean all I have been hearing is how fabulous this novel is. And I found myself thinking... can it really be that good? Will I end up hating for the mere fact that everyone else loves it?
But alas, I read it and understood what all the fuss was really about. Because believe me when I say, it was really that good.
For me it all goes back to Emer Morrisey. Her story was, dare I say is unimaginable and have that come across as a compliment? I was so saturated with her story, I thought about it for days after I’d read the novel. Her character was truly captivating. She is fierce, a force to be reckoned with. As I suppose is Saffron, as well, seeing that she is herself Emer Morrisy, 300 years and 100 canine lives later.
As a dog lover, I found the dog facts to be entertaining and hilariously funny, because they are just so very true. And they add to the over mystique of the novel.
And of course compliments must be made to A.S. King, for her spectacular storytelling ability.