My Rating ~ Four stars

4-gold-stars copy

RELEASED: 12 February 2019

Publisher: HarperTeen

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 400

Blurb

The deeply secretive Black Coats have been exacting vengeance on men who hurt girls and women for years. And Thea has just received an invitation to join them. This is the opportunity she’s been waiting for to finally get justice for her cousin Natalie, whose killer went free.

Thea dives head first into the group, training every day with other girls whose stories rival hers. Together they carry out Balancings—acts of revenge guaranteed to teach a lesson. With every predator threatened, every blackmailer exposed, and every date rapist punished, Thea can feel herself getting closer to avenging Natalie’s death.

But then the Balancings begin to escalate in brutality, and Thea discovers that the Black Coats are not all they seem to be. Thea must confront just how far she’s willing to go for justice—and what kind of justice Natalie, and Thea herself, deserve. Because when the line between justice and revenge is razor thin, it’s hard not to get cut.

Review

Thea is struggling with her cousin’s murder, when she’s approached by a vigilante society who hand down ‘balancings’ to men who have hurt women. In exchange for her loyalty and service, they promise to get her justice of her own. Thrown together into a group of other girls who will train and work together for the Black Coats, Thea finds unexpected friends and the secrets the society holds.

The Black Coats was such a unique book, something that is rare in YA and always makes me enjoy the book that bit more! The group dynamics between Thea and the other girls were both fun and complicated. Emotions run high as each girl has a demon in their past in the form of a man who has caused devastation and changed their life forever.

There were some really great themes in the book, not just about the treatment of women, but of the thin line between justice and vengeance, and the question of who decides what should be dealt out.

There was a romance aspect to the story and it was sweet but not overpowering. I really enjoyed this one and found it an easy but sometimes emotional read. and I’m keen to read more books by Colleen Oakes!