Avoiding the “middle book” syndrome of many series, this sequel is sure to be a hit with previous fans.
The assigned kills from Hit (2015) may be over, but the danger still intensifies in this capitalist dystopia.
After faking her own death in the first novel, Patsy Klein, along with her boyfriend, Wyatt, and her dog, Matty, seek shelter and a way to wreak revenge on Valor National Bank with the anti-government anarchy cell, Citizens for Freedom. Along the way, they add more like-minded teens to their fold. When the extremist CFF leader, Leon, begins sending them on assignments to “kill bad guys and blow shit up,” Patsy realizes that the CFF’s disregard for life is just as great as Valor’s and that there’s no “freedom” to walk away from their terrorist tactics. In another movie-ready plot, guns and action continue to speak louder than words in the Wild West atmosphere. As Patsy and her new rebel friends make plans to take out Leon’s organization, the teen also learns more about her missing father. While some steamy scenes with Wyatt are still in the mix, the focus is more on solving family mysteries and her related connections to both Valor and the Citizens for Freedom. And because doing what’s right sometimes comes with a high price, moral dilemmas abound alongside the thrills. The cast is not notably diverse.
Avoiding the “middle book” syndrome of many series, this sequel is sure to be a hit with previous fans. (Thriller. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2342-7
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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