A fun and ferocious adventure.
Superpowered teenager Allison Lee returns in this YA fantasy sequel to Dragons Walk Among Us (2021), navigating fame and new threats.
Allison just wants to live the life of an ordinary teenage girl, but being the daughter of a human and a shape-shifting, dragon-hunting skaag is anything but ordinary. Her inherited paranormal power, which she calls “the sleeper,” gives her superstrength among other abilities; her special status is now public knowledge, and Allison is mobbed by both fans and protestors. She even has a security team that watches her every move. When her ex-boyfriend Haji Patel goes missing, she investigates with her friends, including fellow student Dalia; they discover the existence of a mysterious group fronted by a rogue intelligence agent; its stated purpose is to protect humanity from a possible invasion by dragons, who can take human form. But as more information comes to light, Allison finds that the lives of those she loves are in danger, and she confronts her fear of losing control of the sleeper within her. The end leaves things open for another sequel, raising questions about the safety of humanity, and of Allison’s friends and family in particular. Fans of supernatural fiction will find this novel to be a wild, riveting ride. It showcases many vivid fantasy elements, including gleaming dragons (“Its bronze eyes, split by vertical black pupils, meet my gaze. A red forked tongue licks the air and disappears”) and beguiling faeries. It’s primarily a cautionary tale about the corrupting power of fear and the atrocities that people can commit to protect the status quo. In the face of terror, Allison, a young woman at war with herself, is a strong and relatable hero. As she fights against guilt and limiting beliefs, she finds resilience as well as the power to protect others. Although the work ends on a note of suspense, readers will turn the final page confident that Allison, with her friends by her side, will be able to face whatever’s coming her way.
A fun and ferocious adventure.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2023
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 314
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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