We All Fall Down

by Rose Szabo

Overview

The first book in a dark fantasy YA duology by Rose Szabo, the author of What Big Teeth, about the power and danger of stories and the untold costs of keeping magic alive, perfect for fans of Rory Power and Marie Rutkoski.

In River City, where magic used to thrive and is now fading, the witches who once ruled the city along with their powerful King have become all but obsolete. The city's crumbling government is now controlled primarily by the new university and teaching hospital, which has grown to take over half of the city.

Moving between the decaying Old City and the ruthless New, four young queer people struggle with the daily hazards of life—work, school, dodging ruthless cops and unscrupulous scientists—not realizing that they have been selected to play in an age-old drama that revives the flow of magic through their world. When a mysterious death rocks their fragile peace, the four are brought into each other's orbits as they uncover a deeper magical conspiracy.

Devastating, gorgeous, and utterly unique, We All Fall Down examines the complex network of pain created by power differentials, even between people who love each other—and how it is possible to be queer and turn out just fine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374314323
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	06/07/2022
Series:	The River City Duology , #1
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	627,327
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Rose Szabo is the author of What Big Teeth and We All Fall Down, the first book in the River City duology #1. A nonbinary writer from Richmond, VA, they live with an assortment of people and animals. They have an MA in English from the University of Maine and an MFA in creative writing from VCU.

Editorial Reviews

05/16/2022

Hidden somewhere in the U.S. is the once prosperous River City, whose magic is waning after a revolution overthrew its last king and the witches who simultaneously ruled. Now, the city is controlled by its university hospital and police force, both of which operate with little accountability. But the prophesied cycle to replenish the dying magic is beginning again, centering four young people: white, gender-fluid newcomer Jesse Archer; Black physics professor David Blank; David’s unnamed twin, a trans girl born with tentacles and “crimson skin”; and gay, white Jack Marley, who frequents River City’s criminal underground. When their paths intertwine, they’re embroiled in the mystery of a murdered policeman as they delve into the city’s oppressive government amid magical conspiracy. Narratively, the city’s lore, especially its revolution’s history, is sometimes vague, but its streets are resplendent with both menace and whimsy, including a German shepherd crime boss. Interludes following secondary characters sometimes slow the pace, and a protagonist’s decision, while true to life, frustratingly undermines the premise. Even so, Szabo (What Big Teeth) uses alternating third-person perspectives to tenaciously interrogate police violence and racism, making for a promising duology starter. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jennifer Azantian, Azantian Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Unlike anything I’ve ever read. Szabo has given us a brutal and visceral world, filled with characters who shine the light in the darkest corners of our hearts. Glorious and achingly real, you won’t want to leave it behind.” —Heather Walter, author of Malice

“We All Fall Down by Rose Szabo is a unique dark fantasy where science and magic coexist in an intricate game of cat and mouse. With a diverse cast of characters and prose that is equally gorgeous and haunting, We All Fall Down doesn’t shy away from exploring the dark underbelly of society, humans, and creatures alike.” —Aiden Thomas, two-time New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys and Lost in the Never Woods

Praise for What Big Teeth:

A Strand YA Book of the Month

"With a layered mystery, a haunting setting, and thrilling tension, What Big Teeth has an otherness to it that pulls you in and forces you to keep reading." —Tricia Levenseller, Publisher’s Weekly-bestselling author of The Shadows Between Us

"Deliciously gothic and wonderfully creepy." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED REVIEW

"... one part haunting mystery, one part dark fantasy ... This darkly thrilling gothic fantasy will appeal to fans of Karen McManus and Maggie Stiefvater alike." —School Library Journal

"A tale so gorgeously twisty, it'll turn you inside out." —Tor.com

"Gazes into [the] darkness to face the monster that dwells within." —NPR Books

"A complete ghostly chill that deserves ten stars." —The Nerd Daily

"Has bite—and will leave you feeling dazed." — Forever YA

"A hauntingly thrilling read." —The Lineup

"A fascinating debut." —PopSugar

"[An] inventive concept." —Den of Geek

"Not your typical YA fantasy." —Culturess

From the Publisher

09/01/2022

Gr 10 Up—Four young adults are destined to become archetypal leaders in River City, a surrealistic fantasy world where the loss of magic has devastated the land and left an opening for corruption to take hold. After escaping an abusive home life, Jesse follows a promise left on a treasured postcard and takes a chance on a bus from the mundane world to River City. Once there, they discover that they can magically shift between a masculine and feminine presentation at will. Jesse soon connects with Jack, a scrappy enforcer for a local mob boss who ruthlessly protects her own. David, a young physics professor, is determined to trace the roots of magic and discover its secrets. Meanwhile, Turing, the "daughter of the river," is framed for murder when two police officers are killed, and her monstrous shape leads everyone to assume that she's guilty. Although Szabo's worldbuilding is creative and immersive, this novel suffers from uneven pacing and characterization. Excessive focus on Jack, who is up front about being "not a good person," often weighs down the story while Jesse, David, and Turing, far more sympathetic characters, are less developed. While this novel explores complex ideas like identity, fate, and systems of oppression, it feels unfinished. The four main characters represent a wide array of gender identities, gender expressions, and sexualities. Jack and Jesse are both white while David and Turing are of mixed descent. VERDICT An additional purchase for fans of surrealistic fantasy authors such as Kelly Link and Anna-Marie McLemore.—Catherine Cote

School Library Journal

2022-03-29
Four queer people navigate a city that must learn to live without magic.

It’s been 20 years since River City’s King Nathan the Giant lost to the rebellion, and the magic that once fueled the city has now dried up. Now, science rules its streets, as the university and teaching hospital attract newcomers who study the city’s mysterious theta radiation. But there are vestiges of the old magic still. College lecturer David Blank stumbles upon a book of magic; Jesse Archer comes to the city looking for an old childhood friend; a nameless, tentacled girl with crimson skin witnesses the disposal of a body and helps Jack Marley, a curmudgeonly woman, investigate. David is Black; Jack and Jesse are White. The novel weaves in a storyline with an injustice related to race that has strong echoes in our world—the lack of consequences or reflection by the perpetrator, while realistic, may be frustrating to some. This first entry in a duology asks a lot of readers when it comes to immersion in the worldbuilding and lore—not much is spelled out at first, and it takes some time to be able to follow River City’s inner workings. Once readers do settle into the text, however, its embrace of the strange and the outcast is quite soothing.

Some readers will find comfort in this quirky novel. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews