A fast-paced fantasy with a bold lead character and a well-developed fictional world.
A 17-year-old girl contends with otherworldly forces as she sets out to avenge her slain mother in Brown’s YA novel.
For suburbanite Zoey Marie Talbot, mythical creatures like pixies and trolls aren’t just fairy tale characters—they’re real. She’s blessed (or perhaps cursed) with the Sight, an inherited power that allows her to see nonhuman beings that live, work, and travel in the Human Realm; various spells keep their true forms concealed from other humans. Zoey has long been under strict orders to keep her power hidden so as not to attract the attention of the Mythical Council, who killed Zoey’s grandmother. Nevertheless, Zoey plans to register with them when she turns 18; she hates hiding her Sight, and registration would enable her to travel to other realms. However, after a demon murders Zoey’s mother, the teen finds a mysterious ring that her mother had carefully hidden, which fuses itself to her finger; she later discovers that it allows its wearer to access a valuable, secret map, which makes her a target. Then the Council discovers her, and she finds herself subjugated by an authority that’s completely alien to her. Determined to track down her mother’s killer, she reluctantly teams up with a half-demon named Tristan, who warns her that she shouldn’t trust anyone from other realms—not even him. Over the course of this novel, Brown presents a thrilling coming-of-age adventure story in a compelling urban fantasy setting. Zoey, a daring and sometimes-reckless protagonist, narrates the proceedings in a tone that effectively combines earnestness with teenage snark: “Why would anyone care if someone could see through spells? It was such a useless gift. Not like breathing fire or walking through walls.” Excellent worldbuilding conjures an ideal backdrop for plenty of action and misadventures. Readers will note some familiar fantasy-romance elements, especially when it comes to the developing relationship between Zoey and Tristan, but overall, the novel remains fresh and exciting.
A fast-paced fantasy with a bold lead character and a well-developed fictional world.Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781509255306
Page Count: 318
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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