A strong superhero yarn for fans of the X-Men and Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.
A 16-year-old from a family of superpowered people finds herself on the outs when she fails to develop powers of her own in Pretty’s YA SF novel.
Hanna Super is an anomaly in her appropriately named family. Her deceased mother, two sisters, and two brothers all developed superpowers by the time they were 16, her current age. Her powerlessness means she is left out of, among other things, her family’s vigilante activities. Her older sister, Maria, can control fire. Her brother Toomas has superstrength, and her other brother, Maksim, has the ability to transfer pain from his own (usually self-inflicted) injuries to someone else. Finally, her youngest sister, Marleen, can dissolve anything she touches. Struggling to find her place, Hanna devotes her time to studying the gene that causes the development of powers, discovered by her wealthy scientist father, Artem Super—whose approval she strongly desires. After a lab accident, however, Hanna is cast out of her father’s home. Alone for the first time, she stumbles into an alliance with the mysterious Brotherhood, the group positioned as Artem’s antagonistic rival. The author effectively builds the story’s world (it’s set in an alternate version of Sudovia, an independent former member nation of the Soviet Union) through the natural-feeling incorporation of details via conversations or flashbacks. One particularly clever instance occurs in a flashback to Hanna and Maria’s childhood games involving maps of Kakslinna: (“Maria’s favorite map was the most recent one, where she’d drawn little, red Xs for where to find the best mini pancakes, cinnamon pastries, and cherry pies”); Pretty uses the scene not only to provide depth to the sisters’ relationship, but also to unobtrusively convey details about the history and geography of the setting. Ultimately, the author delivers an exciting superhero story with series potential.
A strong superhero yarn for fans of the X-Men and Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780645712315
Page Count: 308
Publisher: Pandora Books
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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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