That said, it’s certainly heir to the Twilight tradition and will probably be a bestseller. Unfortunately.
The first installment of a spinoff from Armentrout’s bestselling Lux series.
It’s been four years since Earth won the global war against invading space aliens called Luxen, who combined spectacular good looks with deadly superpowers. Life is back to normal for 17-year-old Evie. Her father died in the war and her mother still works endless hours in the military, but Evie’s main concerns are the everyday dramas of high school life. When she accompanies a friend to a nightclub known to be patronized by Luxen, she meets Luc, a staggeringly hot 18-year-old who claims not to be Luxen despite having unnerving Luxen-like eyes. In days to come, girls from Evie’s school disappear, Luc shows up with frightening regularity, and gradually Evie learns that nothing, including herself, is what it seems. Aliens of many types abound—holes in worldbuilding can always be shored up with new aliens—and the overwritten prose gives the same emotional weight to girls dying from their eyes being burnt out as to preferring Coke over Pepsi. Some characters are described as gay or dark-skinned, though none of the characterization goes below surface level. Luc’s commanding, kissing-without-consent demeanor seems out of step with the #MeToo era, and unless you’re willing to put your brain on a hook and just coast through the fluffy writing, there’s not much to admire here beyond Luc’s pecs.
That said, it’s certainly heir to the Twilight tradition and will probably be a bestseller. Unfortunately. (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-17573-1
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Tor Teen
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
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
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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