Mama Cried by Talia Haven

Genre: Realistic Fantasy

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I have to say I wasn’t sure what to expect when I saw how short the story was.  Talia Haven definitely has a gift for packing a lot into so little.  The story starts with Jenny and her friends swinging on the playground.   Her guardian, Azula come to get her.  She and her puppies go along with Azula to a building. I thought it strange that Jenny would ask her if she was going where all of the other children went.  At first I thought maybe she was being adopted. When asked what her last memory was, she replied, “Mama cried.”  It is at this point I realized she is dead. She is told she will enter and have to make a decision.  She is also told her puppies with be grown up.  What she sees, and what she remembers is so heart wrenching.  At first I thought it unfair for her to have to make the type of decision she had to make.  As the story progressed and came toward its end I knew it was right that she be the one. The ending was very satisfying.  I was amazed that the author was able to pack so much emotion into her writing.  I definitely will recommend her writing to others and will look forward to reading more from her.