Exciting and endearing.
A 16-year-old who predicts death teams up with a vampire to learn more about her powers.
When her skin touches another’s, Elise Beaumont visualizes and feels the manner of that person’s death. This began five months ago when she foresaw her brother’s imminent drowning. She desperately wants to be rid of this ability until vampire Claire Montgomery tells her that, as the Death Oracle, Elise can change people’s fates. Meanwhile, Claire hates being permanently 17 and a vampire. She agreed to complete one final case as a shepherd for the Veil, so now she’s responsible for teaching Elise and getting her to come work for them. Claire hopes that once she succeeds in this task, the leaders of the Veil will help her finally get the revenge she seeks against Rose, who made her what she is. The mission becomes complicated, though, with an unknown killer on the loose in town and Claire developing romantic feelings for Elise. The girls’ alternating first-person narratives aren’t terribly distinct, but they succeed in expressing their emotions realistically as they grieve, yearn, and grow. Heartfelt friendships with lovable side characters add lightness and charm. The pace is brisk throughout with plenty of thrilling action, even while the romance is a slow burn. Worldbuilding happens naturally, and the paranormal mythos is easy to understand. Elise and Claire are White and queer; side characters are diverse in terms of race, sexuality, and gender identity.
Exciting and endearing. (Paranormal. 13-18)Pub Date: Dec. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-35043-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship.
A battered girl and an injured rugby star spark up an ill-advised romance at an Irish secondary school.
Beautiful, waiflike, 15-year-old Shannon has lived her entire life in Ballylaggin. Alternately bullied at school and beaten by her ne’er-do-well father, she’s hopeful for a fresh start at Tommen, a private school. Seventeen-year-old Johnny, who has a hair-trigger temper and a severe groin injury, is used to Dublin’s elite-level rugby but, since his family’s move to County Cork, is now stuck captaining Tommen’s middling team. When Johnny angrily kicks a ball and knocks Shannon unconscious (“a soft female groan came from her lips”), a tentative relationship is born. As the two grow closer, Johnny’s past and Shannon’s present become serious obstacles to their budding love, threatening Shannon’s safety. Shannon’s portrayal feels infantilized (“I looked down at the tiny little female under my arm”), while Johnny comes across as borderline obsessive (“I knew I shouldn’t be touching her, but how the hell could I not?”). Uneven pacing and choppy sentences lead to a sudden climax and an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending. Repetitive descriptions, abundant and misogynistic dialogue (Johnny, to his best friend: “who’s the bitch with a vagina now?”), and graphic violence also weigh down this lengthy tome (considerably trimmed down from its original, self-published length). The cast of lively, well-developed supporting characters, especially Johnny’s best friend and Shannon’s protective older brother, is a bright spot. Major characters read white.
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship. (author’s note, pronunciations, glossary, song moments, playlists) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781728299945
Page Count: 626
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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