“Oh, Faith. Oh my darling. The not knowing is the exciting part. Go and find out. Make mistakes. Make memories. Do it all, because you can.”
Has anyone else ever read a book thinking there was going to be another one after it, but only to see the synopsis calling it the conclusion to a series? Just me? Never mind, then. Faith: Greater Heights is the conclusion to Faith’s origin story. The sequel does an admirable job of reiterating the events of the first book seamlessly while also diving right into Faith’s final year of high school. We get a bit of background of what’s happened over the summer—Faith’s grandmother had a few more episodes where she couldn’t remember key events in her life and got confused and Faith caved and told her best friends everything about Dakota, her own flying prowess and Colleen’s weird behaviour. From the first few pages, you’re drawn right back into Faith’s story and ready to find out what’s to come.
People who return because of Faith’s trademark personality won’t be disappointed—Faith’s understated humour and dry remarks make the pages fly by as she navigates senior life, her grandmother’s worsening Alzheimer’s, and the question where she’ll go once she’s graduated. Still furious with Dakota for what she put her through, but also missing her due to some unresolved feelings, there’s a lot going on. Not to mention that certain potential villains returning unexpectedly and new faces showing up are definitely a cause for concern. Though there are larger powers at play, the majority of the action is held back until the final quarter of the book, but the payoff justifies the slow build-up to an explosive climax for Faith’s origin story.
While some may miss the action from the first book Faith: Taking Flight, I actually really enjoyed the—for the most part of the novel—more introspective focus this time around. Struggles Faith has faced in the first book are expounded on in detail. Most of this sequel revolves around her grandmother’s Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and, quite like with the first book in this duology, Murphy truly shines in her unflinching and utterly honest depiction of what it means to care for someone who’s slowly losing their memories. If you’ve ever known someone who’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I’m sure you’ll see the raw quality in Murphy’s writing. There are no punches pulled and instead, the truth is shown: that some days, all the memories are there and nothing seems to be wrong, while others, the person you love may not even recognise you. Alzheimer’s is one of the cruellest illnesses because it takes in unproportionate amounts that you never quite expect. To this day, Murphy’s depiction of it remains one of my favourites in young adult literature because it’s so authentic.
Faith’s efforts to make everything work—living on her own, saving her town from yet another disaster and trying to figure out just what it means to be supernatural—are fascinating to follow and you can’t help but root for her. Once again, Murphy showcases that support goes both ways—when Faith relies on her friends, they in turn count on her. I loved that Faith made mistakes in this book and that her friends were there for her, regardless. Though the ending after the big reveal felt a tad anticlimactic (again, I didn’t think much of it because I thought there would be a third novel), overall it’s a heartfelt goodbye to Faith, her fantastic friends and family.
Offering a satisfying conclusion to an admirable superhero’s origin story, Faith: Greater Heights shines with the trademark Murphy narration, a mystery to keep you guessing and a whole lot of wholesome high school moments between friends and family.
Faith: Greater Heights is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of
Will you be picking up Faith: Greater Heights? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’, comes the exciting conclusion in the two-book origin story of fan-favorite comic character Faith—a fierce, plus-size superhero.
Faith Herbert can finally admit that she’s not a regular teen. Thankfully, her two best friends, Matt and Ches, are now in on her superhero secret. But after the chaos of her first semester, Faith just wants to end her senior year on a normal note—enjoying all the hallmarks of graduating high school—like prom! And, possibly, getting to attend college in the fall.
A new teacher has taken over journalism class, and Faith is only occasionally reminded of the empty spot left by Colleen Bristow, the quiet nerd-turned-supervillain. That is, until Faith hears from Peter that other psiots have been going missing, and he suspects that her old classmate is somehow involved. Faith decides the only way to get to the bottom of it is to find Colleen—before enemies can get to her first.
As her search starts to collide with the memorable senior year she’s been hoping for, Faith learns that you gotta have faith…that sometimes fate will point you in the right direction.
