The romance is alluring and Bosworth’s descriptions are poetic, but the story’s lack of tension and its easy resolution...
Seventeen-year-old Kenna must live with the horrible memory of having committed murder—but she also remembers the raw energy she stole from her victim and how powerful and godlike it made her feel.
Frightened by her ability, Kenna swears to never use her power again and keeps her distance from everyone, including her mother and ailing twin sister. Then Blake moves to her small town, and it becomes increasingly difficult for Kenna to stay away from the boy next door. And when her sister and mother are involved in a violent attack, Kenna breaks her promise entirely in order to help them, which attracts the attention of the police and the media. For everyone’s safety, Kenna is sent to Eclipse, a remote commune, to learn how to control her power. With each passing day, however, Kenna is left with questions about her power, her mother, and Eclipse House and its residents. Kenna’s power and the mystery surrounding Eclipse are intriguing, but as it unfolds in Kenna’s first-person account, the story lacks tension and real conflict resolution. The detective investigating Kenna’s case is bizarrely restrained, and his acceptance of Kenna’s unbelievable lies is attributed to the fact that he’s an X-Files fan—a credulity that readers will find hard to take seriously.
The romance is alluring and Bosworth’s descriptions are poetic, but the story’s lack of tension and its easy resolution disappoint. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-34137-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
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
BOOK REVIEW
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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