An intriguing and complex but slow-burning read.
In Emers’ YA fantasy, an immortal being is determined to heal her fractured family—no matter how long it takes.
Kali Brewster and her family are Wanshiqi, a species of powerful, immortal beings with godlike powers that range from the ability to heal the sick to the capacity to destroy entire cities. Back in the year 79, for instance, Kali leveled a city: “The fall of Pompeii? Yeah, that was me.” By Wanshiqi standards, this kind of thing isn’t terribly taboo; after all, her grandfather sunk Atlantis and her mother destroyed the Aztec civilization. However, Kali trapped a Wanshiqi named Octavius under the ash of Pompeii, where he remains to this day. As punishment, Kali and her parents were sentenced by the powers that be to live among humans and reincarnate until Kali reaches her 17th human year and undergoes qifa, the Wanshiqi coming-of-age process. But because Kali uses her powers to ensure her own death, she and her family have gone through hundreds of reincarnation cycles. Her divorced parents are furious, but Kali isn’t ready to stop, and she thinks she can repair the family rift. Now that Kali is 16-going-on-17 yet again, she’s preparing to drag her parents—as well as her maternal grandparents and her Wanshiqi soulmate, Hunter—through it all again. This time, though, there’s more at play than she realizes. At its core, the first book in Emers’ Wanshiqi Trilogy is an exploration of how unprocessed trauma can spiral into other parts of one’s life, even if that life plays out over multiple centuries. Kali, with her many lifetimes of hiding her Pompeii-related trauma from her loved onesand her infliction of violence against herself, is often a sympathetic protagonist. That said, she also comes off as remarkably selfish at times, as shown most starkly in her violence against others and her persistence in extending her family’s reincarnation sentence. Emers’ worldbuilding is thorough and her supporting characters are well developed. The pacing of this dense story often drags, however, and readers may find the plot’s high school drama elements to be unnecessary and off-putting.
An intriguing and complex but slow-burning read.Pub Date: April 30, 2024
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Beckett Publishing Group
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
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