Fans of Invincible seeking fuller answers to the Marcus-Evie puzzle may forgive the soapy sections and enjoy its more...
Marcus, anguished at his separation from Evie, shares his back story, including a dysfunctional family, deceased older brother, and a destructive “tornado” inside him that’s “spinning out of control.”
Sequel to cliffhanger Invincible (2015), the novel begins when Marcus saves cancer-survivor teen Evie from drowning, but he's prevented by doctors and family from seeing her as she recovers from various addictions. His isolation gives Marcus ample time to reflect on his life. Told in alternating sections made up of “there” flashback scenes, “here” present-day entries, and “you,” lovelorn, anguished inner monologues directed at Evie, the book ends with two hopeful final sections (“now” and “us”). Retracing his family’s tragic implosion, Marcus examines what drove his brilliant brother to suicide, illuminating why he’s adopted various bad habits, including smoking pot and self-harm through cutting. The overwrought language of the “you” sections (“Supposedly, swans mate for life. When they kiss, their necks form the shape of a heart….Does a swan really sing when it dies? Is its pain really that beautiful?”) often interrupts genuinely compelling explorations of Marcus’ story and the accompanying insights into the mindset of those who harm themselves, seeking relief (“I choose blood instead of tears”).
Fans of Invincible seeking fuller answers to the Marcus-Evie puzzle may forgive the soapy sections and enjoy its more measured, insightful writing and happy ending. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-229960-4
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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