A sharp cast and absorbing monsters help this series entry to shine.
A girl finds herself and her friends caught up in a war between monsters and faeries in Rice’s YA urban fantasy novel.
In this final volume of the Allison Lee Chronicles, the titular character is under virtual house arrest. The authorities fear her because she’s a half-skaag, the offspring of a human father and a skaag mother (a skaag is a cross between a supersized alligator and a gargantuan eel). That’s not all that’s making Allison discontent: Her young faery friend Bria is being held at a military base. Her ex-boyfriend, Haji, then blows up his house with magic and gets shipped to that same base. Allison secretly gives an interview to a reporter about the interred children to generate a public outcry, but it backfires when the faeries attack the base to take back Bria. After a power outage hits the West Coast, it’s traced to magic being used near Mauna Kea, Hawaii. War breaks out between the faeries and the skaags. With Bria and Haji still recuperating, Allison, her father the archmagus, her human friend Dalia, and the dragon Dr. Radcliffe must pick a side. They reluctantly ally with the faeries—even if they can’t be trusted—because “If the skaags win, they will end humankind as we know it.” Rice succeeds in making this installment of his YA series accessible to readers old and new, blending in enough backstory from the first two books for new readers to hop on without getting lost amid the ample cast. This approach is essential—a lot happens in this jam-packed opus. Foremost in Rice’s narrative is the theme of Allison and her friends fighting the urge to become monsters, real or figurative. Like many teen girls, Allison also spends much time wrestling with her feelings for her romantic prospects, whether it’s her ex, Haji, or her crush, Jett. The story stagnates somewhat during the repetitive, extended battle scenes, but Rice’s characters sparkle as they bring this adventure to a satisfactory close.
A sharp cast and absorbing monsters help this series entry to shine.Pub Date: June 19, 2024
ISBN: 9781509254675
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
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 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
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