Satisfying but unpolished.
Identities collide in this story of first love and first novels.
Eighteen-year-old white high school senior Tanner has always been at ease with his bisexuality. Comfortably out when he lived in Palo Alto, he moved back into the closet when his family relocated to Provo, Utah, for his mom’s work. As a “half-Jewish queer kid in a straight and Mormon town” he’s cautious about revealing his true self to his new community, planning to hold off being out until he moves away for college. This is easier said than done when Sebastian, a handsome 19-year-old BYU student–turned-novelist, joins their novel-writing seminar as the teaching assistant and Tanner falls head over heels. As their relationship moves from mentorship to friendship to romance, there’s much both boys must contend with. Sebastian’s devoutly Mormon (his father is a bishop), while Tanner’s not, and Sebastian’s unwilling to label his own sexuality. Moreover, Tanner’s manuscript is becoming increasingly autobiographical, risking outing them both. Given the issues involved, readers may be frustrated at the cursory attention given to Tanner’s father’s move away from practicing Judaism, and the representation of Mormonism, while not inaccurate, lacks the nuance the faith deserves. Additionally, an unexpected switch from first to third person near the end of the book leaves the rather meandering plot feeling clunky. However, readers will cheer for Tanner’s confidence in his sexual identity and for the quality bi representation he provides.
Satisfying but unpolished. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8168-7
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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