Judge by the Cover

Hafu Sans Halo #1

by Melissa Abigail

Campbelton looks like a city at peace;
Yet, just below the surface
Lie certain dangers—
Crime, corruption, and a community divided.

Haruna Mitsukai is an overachiever with dreams of attending the University of British Columbia.

Ryu Debiru is a bad boy whose only desire is to escape this ridiculous prison called "life."

Both attend Shady Glenn Academy and despite their similar "hafu" identity, they couldn't despise each other more.

Years of avoidance come to an end when a major assignment on Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice pairs them together.

Just as everything reaches a breaking point, revelations about an old East Side mansion called "Heaven" causes Haruna to question everything she thought she knew about him.

As for Ryu? Well, all that glitters is most certainly not gold.

Genres: Coming Of Age

44 pages, Paperback

Published January 2, 2017

About the author

​Melissa Abigail was born in the southern U.S.A. to South American parents, lived in the borough of Brooklyn, N.Y., and was raised in the suburbs of southern Ontario. A citizen of the world, she’s managed to fit in nowhere in particular but everywhere at the same time. A lifelong writer, creator and artist, she embraces thought-provoking ideas and diversity in film, fiction & life.

Reviews

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I knew what I was getting into with this book but it turned out to be very different. I'm a big fan of young adult books and this book's premise drew me in. The writing is superb however I found the bullying and racism themes to be heavy-handed. It took a long time for me to get into the book. The characters were well-drawn and well-developed. If drama is your thing, you'll love this book.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

[Tim Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this book free in a Goodreads giveaway. This is not my normal genre, and it started of slow, but what gets it the high rating is that it totally drew me in. The author uses more than one viewpoint, and jumps back and forth in the timeline of the story - both devices that can go badly wrong, but here it is done skillfully and adds to the reading experience rather than detracting from it.
The characters are nicely formed - the setting is interesting - and the plot is gently developed rather than rushed. This is not just a book about high school students - it hints at depths to come and left me wanting more.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

The first half of the book was unfortunately not very engaging as Haruna and Ryu's dislike of each other stems from their differences, hers as an overachiever and him just getting by. The second half once they were forced to work together was thankfully more engaging as they realize they may not be as different as they thought.

[Ankita Singh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy!

Short Blurb:

Haruna Mitsukai is an overachiever with dreams of attending the University of British Columbia.

Ryu Debiru is a bad boy whose only desire is to escape this ridiculous prison called "life."

Both attend Shady Glenn Academy and despite their similar "hafu" identity, they couldn't despise each other more.

Years of avoidance come to an end when a major assignment on Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice pairs them together.

Just as everything reaches a breaking point, revelations about an old East Side mansion called "Heaven" causes Haruna to question everything she thought she knew about him.

As for Ryu? Well, all that glitters is most certainly not gold.

Cover Review:

The cover isn't anything specially artistic or intriguing, it displays the face of a girl (Haruna, probably) though it'd make me want to pick it up and know more about it. The cover wasn't intriguing, but it was interesting all the same.

Review:

I tried hard. Really hard. But I still couldn't get into this book. Maybe it just wasn't for me.

I found this book too slow paced for my liking. I couldn't get into the story, not at all.

Maybe it was the writing style or maybe the storyline (or lack thereof, as far as I managed to read) but I couldn't connect to any of the characters.

I neither liked, nor disliked any of the characters or parts. I couldn't judge them because I didn't...feel them? Connect to them?

So yeah, Judge by the cover proved to be a lousy read for me.

[Melissa Abigail]

Not going to leave a review, even a generic one, as others have left some of their own. But I will clarify some things about the newest edition of Judge by the Cover.

[What's New in the Second Edition]

- Some minor name changes, i.e. Devil Hafu changed to Devil Half (for simplicity & flow really); Ryan Jo Szeto is just Jo Szeto.
- Some rewriting on some scenes (because, let's be honest. I couldn't help myself)
- The library+car+living room scene in Chapter 9 is expanded. There is a bit more nuance for character/plot development. A little tidbit about the kind of music Haruna listens to, minor stuff, really.
- The formatting - fun fonts. Fun fonts everywhere. Also, now there is an Asian dragon on the front matter instead of a Western one. That was always a pet-peeve of mine. The font is a tad larger overall, so the page count is longer.
- Oh, and THE COVER. Hardly noticeable. :P

There are other things I won't list here, but I'd say if you've already read the original Book 1, you won't be out of the loop for future books. Major plot points remain the same.

[Salma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever been judged differently because of who you were born as? Being defined as something you are not because of your ethnicity? And are treated as an outcast when you behave differently? That is what Haruna, a biracial perfectionist whose life seemed nearly flawless with her perfect grades, dashing boyfriend and, luxurious lifestyle gets challenged for when one of the teachers decides to group her with the one person she despise the most for an important project. Written by Melissa Abigail, the story Judged By Cover unfolds the life of several teenagers with different backgrounds that lives in a society that accept them under certain conditions.

The title represents the well-known metaphorical phrase; don’t judge a book by its cover, where it symbolizes the assumption people gradually relay on when they want to define who they are interacting with. A contemporary fictional novel that gave me a better understanding in the society the characters are living in, their mindsets, and their lifestyles. The descriptive structure of the characters’ realization and understanding interestingly leaps between each other’s perspectives, leading to unfold some unknown secrets as it establishes the main concept of misjudging a person.

It is especially meaningful when it is related to well-known quotes like ‘Judging other people is such a natural and reflex phenomenon that even when somebody advises everybody not to judge anybody, he never realized that he has already judged that people judge others.’ (Anuj) and ‘Judging others is inevitable. You can only make a difference by not judging blindly.’ (Ankur Prasad); allowing the reader to fully comprehend the development of each character as their arc is been narrated. It is a well written narrative that tackles issues like racism, discrimination and violence on street. It also has a balanced pace that allows the reader to grasp everything that is going on, while making them eager enough to quickly turn its pages.

Overall the book is pleasant to read and I rate it 5 out of 5. The dialogue is well written and flows flawlessly, allowing the reader to live within its story line. The pleasant yet unpredicted twist of the story hooks the reader all the way to the shocking ending of book 1, which provides a complete satisfaction regarding each character’s arcs yet an intense eager to know more about them in the book 2 of the sequel. It’s a promising YA tale of courage, determination and an understanding towards biracial and multi cultural life. I recommend Judge by Cover to anyone who enjoys a day to day teenage life with a dark twist that digs deeper into gangs and their society. And it is available in Goodsread and amazon, even as an audio book.

[K.T. Munson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Characters

Haruna is a very annoying character. I felt like the author tried too hard to make her unlikable. She doesn't really improve with the book either until right near the end. Ryu is a different story. He is very complex and well thought out. He had all the character depth that Haruna lacked. He was a shining star in this otherwise bland cast of characters. 

Plot

This book tried way too hard to be mysterious. The problem is the first half of the book is so boring. I was actually not enjoying the whole high school plot with Haruna and her friends. It was rather repetitive at times and I felt like the first half of the book could have been cut in half with the second half being expanded.

Also I get that Haruna and Ryu went to school together but sometimes I felt like Haruna and Ryu being thrown together too often. Like they were two bouncy balls tied together by a string that kept contracting and pulling them together. I believe this was worse because it felt forced at times. 

That being said the plot after about the 60% point really picks up! I after that I rushed to finish it because the main POV switched from Haruna to Ryu and his POV was much more interesting. There were some aspects of his chapters that fell short, but they were much more lively. I wondered if the contrast between Haruna and Ryu was purposeful to show the gab between them even more, but it felt too wide. 

Overall

The writing could be sharpened but was find for a Young Adult read and had limited errors. The setting was flat. Although the characters weren't all interesting, but some of the characters were fantastic. They could be given some work to polish them up and make them more realistic. Haruna was complex but she also felt fake to me - again this could have been on purpose but to me it was distracting and annoying.

I had a hard time marrying up the first half of the book with the second half of the book. Where the first half of the book was dull and difficult to get through, the second half of the book was gripping and interesting. The pacing of this book could be greatly improved. It was a decent Young Adult novel and for those who like high school based novels with a twist, this is a good read. 

Rating

3 stars

I didn't love or hate this book. If you like books that develop slowly, this book is for sure for you, it just wasn't for me. It earns 3 stars because I like the root premise of this book: Don't judge a person by how they look. 

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. More reviews at creatingworldswithwords.wordpress.com.

[Raghad Muath · Rating 3 out of 5]

//I received a free copy through Booktasters in exchange for a review.//

As I began reading the story, I was excited for an easy and light read, little romance, and the mention of Japanese names. However, half-way through, I felt the plot was too slow-paced and I started to lose interest in the story but at the same time I wanted to know what happens, although I was skeptical and doubtful to be like any other YA love stories.

You know what I mean, 2 students, who hated each other and were trying to avoid each other, are one day picked randomly to work together in a project, and come to learn they have more common things that they thought, and might or might not end up together, Haruna, the A star student, who lives by the book aiming for a higher education and a bright future, while Ryu, who care-less about anything, just trying to get through life any way possible in every way he knows, aiming for his freedom. There was a bit chemistry between these 2 main characters, but I felt it was taking long for them to admit it, and just instantly they started to have feelings? That's was odd. And what was weirded, is that it was obvious Haruna and her boyfriend weren't working, but I don't know why she was still with him especially after a big clash that happened at the diner, with Ryu.

So, the plot was a bit boring with too many details, until they started working on the project, that's when the story started to get better and a bit faster in pace, until this line comes up "oh, the Muslim girl." Really? I mean why? What value does this have to add to the reader or the story itself? To present Haruna's grandmother as a racist? Why does it have to be a Muslim. That's when any attachment, if any, was cut between the story and me. But I kept on reading to see if this gives meaning later on, and it didn't.

When I had reached the end, I was hooked again, especially that it had an open-end, which only means there is Part II and, to be honest, I want to read the second part (because now I want to know what happens eventually and if they end up together or not) and I am hoping it is better from the start all the way through.

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read got my heart skipping.

I'm so glad I got to read it through the very end in a short time. Great job Abigail, for using such simple words that moved the plotline to the best critical and moral baseline of reality. It is the simplicity that makes something professional. And it has achieved well in this book. Do not judge people without approaching them in the first place. My favourite line that lingered throughout was:

'Don't be dumb. Everyone's seen me smile. It's always you who's always serious.'

At first when I was reading, I thought Ryu and Haruna would be just like any other YA novella: will have an devious kind of reaction to each other at first, then in the end they will fall in love much as they thought they hated each other... I was kind of anticipating everything that would happen between them. But I was so wrong when I got to see what's inside both's minds - surreal and hypnotic, they almost swept me off my feet when they got to talk about each other behind their backs without fully knowing the truth. The title fit perfectly throughout the entire chapters, and that is what I loved the most.

In the end having had everything combust in my head like a reality we'd all ignored without knowing, it threw me a spell that kind of felt like a wake up call. It was to always give others a chance before avoiding and judging them; especially if it's a subliminal reaction. What? Literally.

The story dragline was so effective and moving that I had to give it 5 stars. However, some parts of the book went on like a drag and I kind of wanted to go skipping to the best part. But in reality it was all so good to begin with, it just took too long to get to the best part, which is why I gave it 4. I was greedy for the 'psychoanalysis' action, my fault. Or is it? :P

Nevertheless, this is one fantastic read I'd had in a long time. Now I'm so hyped for the next release - Two Halves Whole. Awesome read, Melissa!

[Sanna Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would think a shared high school English assignment could lead to a fascinating portrait of two students, superficially alike only in their half-Japanese ancestry? Dutiful, diligent Haruna pursues her studies with zeal, seeing achievement as the key to the bright future she envisions. When paired with academically apathetic Ryu, whose insolence, she thinks, is fueled by indulgent parents, she’s furious, convinced he’ll be nothing but a burden. For his part, Ryu believes Haruna is little more than an uptight snob.

Neither is right. As they learn more about each other, they begin to examine their prejudices and the differing worlds they inhabit. Ryu’s dangerous double life holds no bright future, just a grim path he cannot escape. Though he tries to keep Haruna ignorant of his true identity, she gains enough insight to shed some of her own naiveté. Just as the barriers fall, the reader learns there’s more binding them together than either knows.

Well-written with believable dialogue, fully rounded main characters and exciting action, Judge by the Cover kept me turning pages eagerly. I look forward to volume two in the series.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me a bit to get into, but it wasn’t as bad as others I’ve read that started out the same way. The first thing that struck me was exactly how superficial the main girl could be. It’s hard to get into a book when the character coms off as unlikable to begin with, but the good news for Haruna is that she grows and develops as the book progresses.

We also get a bit of Ryu’s perspective in the book. I will say, while the split perspective might work, it’s almost as if Ryu is the more worthy character to follow. Not much really happens to Haruna over the course of the book, besides her working on the project and some internal development. Ryu, on the other hand, has quite a bit more to think about. I can’t get into exactly what without giving away spoilers.

There is a good setup for more in the following books, however I can’t say that there is much happening in the first three-quarters of the book. The growth that the characters go through is important, and that’s what makes up the first portion, but when most of the action happening is introspective, it slows down the progress of the book.

I was provided this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judge by the Cover initially seems like a coming of age story about two teens, Haruna and Ryu, who seemingly come from different worlds socially. Haruna is the hard working, good girl from a wealthy background while Ryu is an orphaned young man full of angst who Haruna considers to be an apathetic student with no real ambition in life and therefore not worth her time. However after being assigned a project together the two teens find that their perceptions of each other may not ne what they seem. The story itself takes an interesting turn and the reader is drawn into a carefully crafted plot in which nothing is quite as it seems. There is a lot of character development in the beginning of the book which I found a little confusing initially but is necessary in order to comprehend the plot in the end. Once I reached the mid-point in the book, I found this book hard to put down and I am looking forward to reading the next novel in the series.

[Keziah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haruna is a very ambitious, well-behaved girl whose goal is to graduate top of her class and join the University of British Columbia alongside her rich overachieving boyfriend, Mani. Haruna's view of her surrounding and perception of Ryu, a dirty and irresponsible bully changes after Haruna's visit to the East-side for a church charity. Haruna and Ryu, both half-Asian orphans, have more in common than they originally thought.

The author emphasizes the need to try to understand someone and the underlying circumstances before one jumps to conclusions. Her quote “You'll never understand someone if you can't stop assuming you already know everything about them.” covers this very well. The book is well written and is a story is coherent. The story is very compelling and once you start, you want to keep going till the end.

Thanks, Melissa for a giving me the chance to read this wonderful book for free!

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and fun to Read! One thing I love about this book is Haruna's strong personality. I don't think I've come across a lot of books that have her character development, which is very refreshing. Melissa Abigail created Haruna in way that I had never thought possible. She is a normal girl, but with the high expectation from her Grandma, and herself, she seems to be judge by everyone, but most importantly, Ryu. He thought he knew her, but little by little he comes to find new things about her when faith pushes them together. Btw, I love Ryu. I cannot describe the emotions I received when I realize who he was. My head was spinning, and heart was melting when realization kicks in.

There's a lot more than just their relationship. The book focuses on Ryu's existent; what he does for a living. Being a bad boy wasn't a choice, but one that was chosen for him.

[Mimi11 · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are told do not judge a book by its cover. The premise is applied in this book as two characters who are different, yet similar find themselves being drawn to each other without knowing why. The reasons are revealed in this well-written book with true to life characters.

The themes of bullying and class privilege, and the lives of at-risk youths make this a book young adults will enjoy while the intriguing plot left me wanting to read the continuing saga in the next series.

[Liana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book a little hard to get into but once the pace picked up it was enjoyable. I definitely liked the perspective better from Ryu as it seemed a bit more fast paced. Some of the minor characters seemed a little one dimensional but that may have been because they weren’t in the story that much. Loved the ending. Will definitely be reading part two

[RachieChen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Judge by the Cover follows two teenagers leading very different lives. Yet across this duality lies undercurrents of unity; the realities of growing up and encountering major changes, as well as confronting your own internal and subtle prejudice, are realised. The author uses switching perspectives to engage the reader in a multifaceted story, allowing the reader to become immersed in the complexities of life.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Booktasters.net and Melissa Abigail for the free e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.


This book has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it didn’t capitalize on that potential. The first half drags and it isn’t until the last few chapters that the story finally picks up.

Since this is part of a series I’m wondering if this happens to be a case of the author info dumping the characters’ back stories, etc due to it being the first book and possibly why the pacing is slow. First books in a series are difficult. It’s easy to fall into the trap of giving away too much.

As for the characterization, I couldn’t relate to the characters at all. I think the author definitely knows her characters inside and out but there are times when the writing doesn’t reflect that. I wanted more showing not telling.

That being said, there are a lot of interesting ideas being thrown around here and it’s clear that the author is familiar with Japanese culture and language. I’m interested in where she takes the rest of the series as it seems she’s put a lot of research and thought into it.

[Rachel (Rustling Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not entirely sure of the angle of the story here. Whether it’s a case of high school romance, a kind of rebel-and-the-swot scenario, or whether it’s a story of gang violence, and the way that gangs can swallow vulnerable kids whole.

It could, of course, be both. But the main reason that I’ve pulled these two elements apart is that there’s a very noticeable shift mid-way through the novel from one to the other. I’d have liked to have seen the chapters at the orphanage spread out much more, so that they begin earlier and the transition from one mood to another is less abrupt. These odd jerks in the storytelling reappear at the point when Haruna and Ryu begin to feel their attraction to one another, and it does feel somewhat forced.

Ryu and Haruna both have their difficulties, as all good star-crossed lovers do. Haruna is struggling to juggle the expectations of her grandmother, the assumptions of her boyfriend, and the social lives of her friends, all with perfect grades. Ryu grows closer to being officially inducted into the gang that claimed the life of his father, and doesn’t understand why he should care about his grades and appearances on top of everything else. Both are Hafu – half-Japanese, and have varying pressures from the people around them to honour – or ignore – their heritage.

But there’s something deeper going on here as well. There are particular references to both Ryu and Haruna’s parents that make it clear there’s something else going on – or something else that has gone on, which these two young people are being inexorably pulled into. No matter how many times Haruna’s grandmother calls her Catherine, she won’t be able to ignore who she is. And Ryu knows only too well that there’s no way he can ignore his father’s legacy.

This is what pulls me into the next book in the series – what exactly is it that connects these two young people, beyond the school they go to. And I think along the way we’re invited to reassess the assumptions we make about everyone. Haruna and Ryu dislike each other largely because of what they assume about each other’s lives. Their tentative camaraderie is lovely to watch, and I think there’s a lesson to learn about the difference between people’s outward faces and their real lives. The jerky storytelling led to an inconsistent mood, but I would love to see where this goes next, and what mysteries of the past are unlocked.

Representation:

Now, I can’t judge whether the Japanese/Hafu representation was done well here or not, obviously. I will say there’s a great deal of representation in terms of Asian people, with nationalities and background specified rather than generically ‘Asian’ – but it’s not own voices. I couldn’t find a review by someone who is half-Japanese, but if you’ve written or read one, please do let me know, I’d love to read it and link to it here!

There’s no obvious LGBTQIA+ rep. There is some persistent homophobia directed at Ryu because he didn’t want to look at a photo of a girl who’d been exposed in public.

This review was originally published at https://rustlingreads.wordpress.com/2...

[Dr. Raye of Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start by saying that I am not the target age for this book. It’s YA and I am not. Alas, as a teacher, I love books and am constantly reading in that genre.

I’m not even sure how to start with this book. The writing was fine and I would even go so far as to say the story itself is decent...but that’s the conundrum.

This is almost two different stories in one. That isn’t necessarily bad, but in this case, it didn’t work for me.

First up you have Haruna, an overachiever who thinks pretty highly of herself. In some ways she is unbearable to deal with, in others, such as when she finally sticks up to Mani, you can’t help but cheer her on, even when you’re kind of thinking “it’s about time!” She makes some growth in the arc of the story but she is more unlikeable than likeable.

Then you have Ryu. He’s mysterious and moody, a classic bad boy. But as is usually the case there is more to him than meets the eye. This isn’t necessarily bad.

What I think turned me off is the senseless violence with no real explanation as to why this is the way it is. Gang affiliation is briefly explored but VERY briefly. I ended the book still not sure what was actually going on with these “leaders” and why the kids were involved. This is part of a series so perhaps it gets explained later but I am not of a fan of being confused through book 1 to be given details in book 2 or 3 or whatever.

I was so excited to read this book but unfortunately it fell flat for me. Mostly because of the lack of pertinent details surrounding the gang activity but also because there were times I wasn’t sure I was in the same story. The perspective changes which is fine but there was a lack of continuity that left me wondering what was happening and what I missed.

I think this really rates 2 stars but I am being generous in a 3rd star because the author was kind enough to let me review it for free.