An often entertaining coming-of-age romance with a supernatural twist.
Being a teenager is tough, but being one who can make bad things happen with a wish is even tougher in Gordon’s paranormal YA novel.
Eighteen-year-old high school senior Regan Braaten is not what she appears. Though her life features everyday teen struggles, she also possesses the ability to control other people’s minds and actions with a wish. The discovery of this power came at a cost, specifically, the death of her father in an accident, for which Regan feels guilty. Regan’s mother moves the family from Anchorage, Alaska, to Wyoming, where the teen helps her grandparents on their ranch, gets a job at a local restaurant, and navigates life as a new girl in town with a big secret. She soon gets involved with two boys: Jude, a mysterious, artistic type with a “deep, smoky voice” and dark eyes, and Layne, the star of the high school football team and boyfriend of ruthless queen bee Gabby; as a member of a powerful local family, Gabby could make life very difficult for Regan. Later, to avenge those that Gabby has hurt, Regan puts her newfound skills to the test. Gordon’s book employs a very familiar romance trope in which an outcast girl must choose between two vastly different boys who are enthralled by her, and a significant portion of the plot revolves around this dilemma; as a result, deeper topics, such as guilt and loss, feel relatively glossed over. However, the plot gains more nuance when Regan realizes that she might not be the only one with extraordinary abilities. The novel’s main strength is its pacing; the dialogue, exposition, and action all move quickly, and readers will be kept guessing as to what Regan will do next, particularly in her romantic life: Will she choose Layne, whose normalcy encourages her to keep her powers in check, or Jude, who accepts her for who she really is? Meanwhile, mysterious dark-suited men seem to be following her, which adds intrigue.
An often entertaining coming-of-age romance with a supernatural twist.Pub Date: July 5, 2023
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 338
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Lush, angsty, queer horror.
When the monsters they imagine come to life, two boys fight for their lives—and each other.
Andrew Perrault, who’s from Australia, writes beautiful, macabre fairy tales. His roommate at his American boarding school, Wickwood Academy, is talented artist Thomas Rye, who brings his stories to vivid life in paint and charcoal. Andrew’s twin sister, Dove, is all but ignoring him, so he has plenty of time to focus on Thomas’ increasingly odd behavior. Thomas’ parents disappeared just before the new school year started, and Andrew noticed blood on his roommate’s sleeve on their first day back. When he follows Thomas into the forest one night, Andrew discovers him fighting one of the monsters that Thomas has drawn from these stories. The boys soon find themselves coping with vicious bullies by day and fighting monsters by night. At the same time, Andrew struggles to reconcile his feelings for Thomas with his growing awareness of his own asexuality. But when the sinister Antler King breaches Wickwood’s walls, Andrew realizes that he and Thomas may not survive their own creations. This novel, written in rich, extravagant prose, features frank portrayals of disordered eating, self-harm, bullying, and mental illness. Andrew grapples realistically with his sexual identity, and the story has ample genuinely creepy moments with the monsters. Andrew, Thomas, and Dove are white.
Lush, angsty, queer horror. (content warning) (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 29, 2024
ISBN: 9781250895660
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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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