A page-turner for genre fans, despite few real surprises.
In Armentrout’s (The Darkest Star, 2018, etc.) first YA sci-fi romance novel in a series, the boy next door is super-attractive, insufferable, and a space alien—and he has enemies.
After Katy Swartz’s father died three years ago, she and her mother moved from Gainesville, Florida, to tiny Ketterman, West Virginia. Katy’s senior year of high school is about to begin, and her mom suggests that she say hello to her teenage neighbors, a brother and sister named Daemon and Dee Black. Although Katy, who’s now 17, would rather be reading or writing her blog, she remembers her father’s advice: “Come on, Kittycat, don’t be a bystander.” Two things quickly become apparent about Daemon, though: “He was probably the hottest guy I’d ever seen in real life, and he was a total douche.” However, Dee is eager to be friends with Katy, and she explains Daemon’s rudeness as a product of his overprotectiveness. Something is strange, though, about the town of Ketterman, including reports of “people-shaped things of light.” The amazing truth is that the Blacks, and other local residents, are aliens, and they have extraterrestrial adversaries who are out to destroy them. However, no matter how much Daemon tries to keep Katy out of the fight, she remains determined not to be a bystander. Armentrout employs some fairly standard genre tropes, such as an obviously very attractive female protagonist who refuses to believe that she is, and a love interest who’s a specimen of over-the-top physical perfection. The couple’s love-hate romance dynamic is nothing new, either, although many readers will enjoy how the relationship builds and enjoy some steamy scenes. Armentrout’s writing is solid, and she provides Katy with a believable voice. A few sly references indicate that the author is quite aware of her genre’s conventions: “You’ve been an angst-ridden teenage girl, like the kind in the books I read”; “You don’t sparkle, do you?” The story is well-paced throughout, and the sci-fi elements provide some freshness, setting groundwork for future installments. (Bonus chapters, told from Daemon’s point of view, are also included.)
A page-turner for genre fans, despite few real surprises.Pub Date: May 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-62061-007-7
Page Count: 294
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Well-drawn characters and playful twists keep this thriller fully charged.
This YA SF novel features a teen who must halt a virus that will kill two-thirds of humanity.
In Silver Oak, Maryland, Alice Sherman is a high school junior enjoying lunch near her campus basketball court. With her is Archie, her brother, a senior and science prodigy who likes equations more than his fellow students. Alice has been Archie’s one true friend since their mother left six years ago. Alice is about to catch up with Lalana Bunyasarn, her best friend, when a sudden “streak of electricity zaps through” her head. The agony intensifies until a Voice enters Alice’s mind, asking her, “Do you want this pain to stop?” The Voice then instructs her to go up to Bandit Sakda, a classmate playing basketball, and say that she loves him. Bandit is a beautiful Thai boy who’s talented and arrogant. Strangely, the Voice calls her Malice and says not to fall for him because “it’ll only make what you have to do later harder.” Eventually, Alice learns that the Voice belongs to someone from 10 years in the future who needs help saving humanity. A virus will be created by a person Alice knows that will wipe out two-thirds of the world population. Following the Voice’s directions can save everyone—except the person Alice is ordered to kill. Dunn’s (Star-Crossed, 2018, etc.) latest YA adventure offers increasingly tantalizing twists that gleam in succession like nested matryoshka dolls. Alice will charm readers with her quirks, especially her devotion to Chris Hemsworth of Marvel’s Avengers films. Tension builds as characters in the large cast, including crushworthy Zeke Cain and the brilliant Cristela Ruiz, become potential targets for Alice’s mission. Details about Thai culture add a splendid dimension to the narrative; for example, Bandit is pronounced “bun-dit” and means “one who is wise.” While the notion of a high school killer may not sit well with some, the author doesn’t use the device lightly. Her book takes a strong anti-bullying stance, doing so through an entertaining narrative that doesn’t resort to preaching. The author’s heart and craftiness make a sequel welcome.
Well-drawn characters and playful twists keep this thriller fully charged.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64063-412-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Any moral that may be gleaned from the tangled narrative is buried in confusion. (Fantasy. YA)
A convoluted fantasy offering a series of morals about justice, mercy, human treatment of animals and human treatment of other humans.
A cluster of animals have been educated by a World War II veteran and his activist wife. The animals, a now-vegetarian mix of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores, live in harmony on Cloudburst Mountain. Following their scriptures (the Bible, Animal Farm and judgments such as “Humans Are Evil”), they plan for the day when they will kill all the humans and rule the world. The tale follows the adventures of their coyote prophet Justice and human ally Cody as they travel the United States preparing other animals for “The Rebellion.” Though they meet mostly repellent, violent humans and mistreated animals, they also encounter enough well-meaning, victimized humans to make Cody question his alliance with the cause of human genocide. Meanwhile, the grandson of the original human missionaries to the animals threatens the entire endeavor as he plans to mine the mountain for uranium. Ultimately, the animals succeed in murdering the vast majority of the human race, giving them hope for a shining new day. This overly complex tale is dense with purple prose and far too many extraneous characters–for example, Gordon “Raindance” Fell, the Shadow Shaman of the Pokihallah tribe; and Forest Victor, who appears for the first time late in the story, saying of his never-mentioned-before dead wife, “if only her hatred of the evil deeds of the baby seal killers hadn’t drawn her and her cameras into a combative stance.”
Any moral that may be gleaned from the tangled narrative is buried in confusion. (Fantasy. YA)Pub Date: June 21, 2006
ISBN: 0-595-39274-1
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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