A Technicolor fever dream offering readers a sensory feast.
A mysterious stranger is the key to unraveling decades-old family secrets.
Twelve years ago, winemaker Theo Fall drove away from Paradise Springs, California, leaving behind his pregnant wife and two young sons. Now, the three Fall children carry scars from their father’s abrupt disappearance. Twelve-year-old Dizzy is perpetually afraid of losing people. Her older brothers have their own struggles: 17-year-old Miles is hiding a fathomless chasm of sadness beneath his perfect facade, and 19-year-old violinist Wynton is brilliant but broken, chasing the sound of his father’s trumpet at the bottom of a bottle. But the arrival of rainbow-haired Cassidy at the precise moment each sibling is at a pivotal crossroads sets everything in motion for the members of the Fall family to discover the truth behind the fraternal curse that seems destined to destroy them. Miles and Dizzy embark on a wild pilgrimage, aided and abetted by Sandro, a dog who communicates telepathically, and Felix, a dreamy bisexual sous chef. Composed of multiple interwoven timelines, the story is part folktale and part epistolary novel. It's also 100% Nelson’s signature fabulism and evocative, lyrical prose, which rewards those who stick around through the slow start and occasionally overwrought language. Readers will be satisfied by the emotional collision of the various plotlines and the richly drawn main and secondary characters. Main characters read white.
A Technicolor fever dream offering readers a sensory feast. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9780525429098
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
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
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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