A fun, intricate, fast-moving teen fantasy adventure.
In this YA novel, a teenage girl journeys through a tear in time to become a warrior in another world.
It has been five years since 14-year-old Winnie Harris lost her mother to illness. Since then, she has styled herself as a warrior, a fighter like her mom. She also plays this role in Frama-12, a fantasy game invented by her 6-year-old stepbrother, Mikey. Winnie loves Mikey. She’s considerably less fond of her stepmother, Maria, but for Mikey, she’d do anything—including traveling in his stead to Frama-12 and leading the land’s army against an invasion of giant spiders. When Winnie agrees to this, she thinks it’s all part of the game. But Frama-12 is real, and so is the danger. Determined not to let Mikey down, Winnie steps through a time tear and into a world where water is sacred and technology is a mix of modern and medieval. The queen is an anthropomorphized amphibian, “a big white toad.” Winnie and the queen get off on the wrong foot, and the teen is thrown into the dungeon. Luckily, she has an ally: 15-year-old Kip Skyler, a self-styled parlor magician who also has come through the time tear, establishing himself as a bona fide wizard. With Kip’s help, can Winnie save Frama-12 and return home to Mikey? Supplee writes in the third person, past tense, mostly from Winnie’s perspective but sometimes from Kip’s. The prose is straightforward yet lively, combining narrative action with evocative snatches of description and dialogue befitting young teens. Winnie evinces a curious blend of characteristics. On the one hand, she is a young adult in turmoil, defined by her resolve and her family circumstances. On the other hand, she is possessed of a carefree, middle-grade insouciance, which she takes to Frama-12 as if she’s Alice in Wonderland, playing up the world’s absurdities and buffering readers from any real sense of imperilment. This fantasy series opener moves quickly, if at times erratically, and Winnie’s exploits in Frama-12 can be interpreted as either actually happening or being a continuation of her make-believe with Mikey. Without being heavy-handed about it, the author also makes Frama-12 an allegory for Winnie’s relationship with her stepmother. Amid the magic and mayhem, YA readers will find more than just escapism.
A fun, intricate, fast-moving teen fantasy adventure.Pub Date: July 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5092-4358-7
Page Count: 286
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
