An exciting and compulsively readable work about a teen’s empowerment.
Furlong offers a YA novel that tells the story of a teenage renegade vampire hunter.
The quiet, tree-lined streets of Richmond, Virginia, are a long way from the nonstop excitement of New York City, but as new arrival Stacy Goldman discovers, they’re no less dangerous. She’s accustomed to bullying at school, due to her diminutive, 5-foot stature,and she’s haunted by recent memories of 9/11, the catalyst for her family’s relocation. However, the girl, a chess prodigy, soon discovers that the things that make her distinctive can also be useful for survival. When she impulsively follows a handsome young man from a diner, hoping to get his name, she witnesses a horrific act of violence by what appears to be a vampire. She’s soon drawn into a mystery that stretches back more than a century. Accompanied by her new friends, Finder and Tully—two teens who are well versed in the city’s supernatural secrets—Stacy discovers an otherworldly community that calls Richmond home. Some of the creatures in it are benevolent, but many are bent on destruction and serve a terrifying master informally known as the Man with No Face. Amid the melee of this supernatural city, Stacy also uncovers a group of mortals who, unbeknownst to them, are playing a dangerous game with demonic forces. Soon, Stacy must use her strategizing skills to play a game with very high stakes, indeed. Furlong expertly blends a coming-of-age tale with supernatural elements and plenty of spooky chills and mysteries to keep readers guessing. Stacy is a realistic and appealing protagonist, and readers will become invested as she uses her keen abilities and rescues her equally lovable pals using wit and wisdom that’s well beyond her years. As this is the first book in a series, Furlong does an excellent job of establishing the team as well as developing a frightening atmosphere around the elusive Man with No Face.
An exciting and compulsively readable work about a teen’s empowerment.Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73698-913-5
Page Count: 434
Publisher: Masterful Person Company
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.
A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.
Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Characters to love, quips to snort at, insights to ponder: typical Spinelli.
For two teenagers, a small town’s annual cautionary ritual becomes both a life- and a death-changing experience.
On the second Wednesday in June, every eighth grader in Amber Springs, Pennsylvania, gets a black shirt, the name and picture of a teen killed the previous year through reckless behavior—and the silent treatment from everyone in town. Like many of his classmates, shy, self-conscious Robbie “Worm” Tarnauer has been looking forward to Dead Wed as a day for cutting loose rather than sober reflection…until he finds himself talking to a strange girl or, as she would have it, “spectral maiden,” only he can see or touch. Becca Finch is as surprised and confused as Worm, only remembering losing control of her car on an icy slope that past Christmas Eve. But being (or having been, anyway) a more outgoing sort, she sees their encounter as a sign that she’s got a mission. What follows, in a long conversational ramble through town and beyond, is a day at once ordinary yet rich in discovery and self-discovery—not just for Worm, but for Becca too, with a climactic twist that leaves both ready, or readier, for whatever may come next. Spinelli shines at setting a tongue-in-cheek tone for a tale with serious underpinnings, and as in Stargirl (2000), readers will be swept into the relationship that develops between this adolescent odd couple. Characters follow a White default.
Characters to love, quips to snort at, insights to ponder: typical Spinelli. (Fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-30667-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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