An exciting series opener, perfect for fans of light YA fantasy.
A teenage girl and her companions search for her kidnapped father in this YA steampunk novel.
Onyx Chime, 16, has lived a sheltered life so far working as an assistant to her father, Ambroos Chime, the immortal Timekeeper, who controls time for all the Clockwork Lands. She quickly befriends Edison Lindquist, who will apprentice with her father before taking a position as Gear Master. Soon, Cornelia Castille arrives. She’s a mysterious socialite who has a unique relationship with Onyx. Given permission to travel from Center Wheel for the first time in her life, Onyx and Edison have an exciting day out but return to find that Ambroos has been kidnapped. Onyx, Cornelia, and Edison set out to rescue him, convincing Thaddeus Thackeray, an eccentric inventor obsessed with eternity, to take them in his airship. Along the way, they encounter many dangers and a mad doctor, whose capture of Ambroos is only the first step toward realizing his dangerous ambitions. This is an ingeniously creative novel, as cleverly constructed as the gears and cogs of Clockwork Lands. The lead is a delight—curious, clever, and resourceful—and inhabits a well-imagined world: “The air balloon drifted a couple hundred feet above the great lakes, weaving in and around floating islands with their metal foundations, creating a magnetic pull with the metals in the water so that they seemed to hover or float above the lively waves.” The inciting action of the story happens close to the middle of the novel because author Archie takes plenty of time with her worldbuilding and character development. Accompanying the story are many detailed illustrations and a map of the Clockwork Lands. Fortunately for readers, this book is the first in a planned series.
An exciting series opener, perfect for fans of light YA fantasy.Pub Date: Feb. 8, 2025
ISBN: 9781964396002
Page Count: 405
Publisher: ARC Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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 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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