A thin mystery with ultimately forgettable characters.
Kate Cooper likes exploring—until a creepy discovery hits close to home.
Fifteen-year-old Kate has just moved east across Canada to her mother’s childhood home in the small town of Clarendon, which she’s dubbed Hicksville—and she’s not happy about it. It’s just Kate and her mom, as her unstable dad is barely around. Zach Whitchurch, Kate’s neighbor and classmate, keeps riding over to her house on his John Deere lawn mower, and the two bond over their mutual interest in Kate’s paternal grandfather, who’s rumored to have killed his wife. Exploring the woods on her grandfather’s property, Kate and Zach come across a crevasse that merits further exploration. But when Zach finds a human skull, it leads to a web of secrets unraveling. The story is told in alternating first-person chapters from Kate’s and Zach’s perspectives. Character development is unfortunately lacking; it feels like there’s little more to Zach than his interest in Kate, while Kate comes across as a stereotypical rebellious teenager. Repetitive events—ditching school to snoop and sneaking into the woods—become tiresome as they drive the story to its underwhelming climax. One highlight of the book, however, is its depiction of how trauma affects families’ well-being; Kate’s parents each carry demons from their pasts into their present lives. Most characters read white.
A thin mystery with ultimately forgettable characters. (Thriller. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2023
ISBN: 9781770867154
Page Count: 264
Publisher: DCB
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.
Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.
Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An eerie thriller reminiscent of summer horror movies that will keep readers on edge.
Two teens with a dark secret return to their old summer camp.
Childhood friends Esme and Kayla can’t wait to return to Camp Pine Lake as counselors-in-training, ready to try everything they couldn’t do when they were younger: find cute boys, stay up late, and sneak out after hours. Even Andy, their straight-laced supervisor, can’t dampen their excitement, especially after they meet the crushworthy Olly and Jake. An intuitive 17-year-old, Esme is ready to jump in and teach her cute little campers. But when a threatening message appears, Esme and Kayla realize the secret they’ve kept hidden for nearly a decade is no longer safe. Paranoia and fear soon cause Esme and Kayla to revisit their ominous secret and realize that nobody in the camp can be trusted. The slow buildup of suspense and the use of classic horror elements contrast with lighthearted camp activities, bonding with new friends, and budding romance. Similarly, Esme’s first-person point of view allows for increased tension and action as well as offering insight into her emotional and mental well-being. Discussions of adulthood, trauma, and recovery are subtle and realistic, but acts of sexism and machismo aren’t fully analyzed. While the strong buildup of action comes late, it leads to a shockingly satisfying finale. Major characters are White.
An eerie thriller reminiscent of summer horror movies that will keep readers on edge. (Thriller. 12-16)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12497-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Dec. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
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