Eighteen heroes, individual yet not alone, beautifully find self-respect and force their school to change.
In a magical school packed with chosen ones, a teacher is murdered.
Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary educates future Sorcerers and prides itself on its diverse student body and outreach initiatives. Or so it claims—though, for the nonlegacy students from previously underrepresented backgrounds, the reality is grim. Professor Dropwort, for example, is a transphobic, racist, sexist, ableist bigot, and nobody particularly minds when he’s brutally murdered. Alas, it’s predictable which demographics the school administrators treat as suspects. In skillfully interwoven chapters, each written by a different author representing a breadth of powerhouse voices, 18 young adults try to protect themselves. From the moment Marieke Nijkamp’s Wren, a nonbinary, disabled necromancer who’s been bullied by Dropwort, finds the body, everything changes. Most of the students believe they are required to fulfill some kind of sacred quest, from Mason Deaver’s Maxwell, a trans boy who’s cursed with an actual prophecy, to Kat Cho’s Jia, a Korean overachiever, who needs to be the hero to feel worthy of her parents’ love. But the students aren’t at odds with one another, although they’re all preoccupied with their own fears. Every teen is the main character of their own corner of the story, each equally responsible for pushing Galileo to live up to its principles. The many individual voices are threaded together well, leading up to a conclusion that is cohesive and actively empowering.
Eighteen heroes, individual yet not alone, beautifully find self-respect and force their school to change. (Fantasy mystery. 12-18)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9780593427453
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
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
Unlikely to gain the author any new readers but will appeal to her fans.
Marley, who’s on the cusp of graduating from high school, looks forward to going to college in California, but first, she must endure senior prank week.
What began as a harmless tradition to annoy the hapless school principal has evolved into a more serious series of pranks and dares orchestrated by the five Wilder brothers: Everett, Emmett, Rhett, Garrett, and Truett. Rhett, who’s Marley’s former friend, is leading this year’s pranks and imposing severe consequences on non-participants. When their dare results in tragedy for a group of friends—Marley, Luce, Jesse, and Atlas (Marley’s boyfriend)—they make a pact to keep what happened a secret. Marley continues to be wracked with self-reproach, however, and paranoia and guilt begin to tear the teens’ friendships apart. It’s crucial for readers to approach the book with suspension of disbelief, because the characters sometimes act without clear motivation and at other times seem to understand who’s responsible for events based on very flimsy evidence. The dialogue also becomes repetitive at points. While this may not be Preston’s strongest work, her dedicated followers will find in it the suspenseful approach they love. Luce is cued Latine; Atlas reads Black, and the rest of the characters present white.
Unlikely to gain the author any new readers but will appeal to her fans. (Thriller. 12-18)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780593704066
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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