A clichéd start gives way to a richly drawn world of keenly devised magic. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)
Once meek and tormented by debilitating allergies, a girl is transported to an alternate universe and becomes a staggeringly powerful witch.
Lily Proctor leads a painful life in Salem, Massachusetts, stricken with seizures and responsible for the care of her schizophrenic mother. When her best friend and unrequited love, Tristan, betrays her at a party, Lily finds herself listening to a mysterious voice inside her head that offers a way out. Suddenly, she appears in an unfamiliar version of her town and is greeted as the Lady of Salem. It appears that Lillian, an alternative version of Lily, summoned her from this other Salem. Realizing she can’t trust her doppelganger, Lily flees, stumbling into Rowan, a man once harmed by the true Lady of Salem. Desperate to get back home, Lily unwittingly becomes embroiled in the struggles of new friends. In this Salem, Lily’s fevers give her power. She’s a crucible—able to change heat into force. But to what end will she harness that power? Angelini begins with a trite setup in present time but quickly subverts tropes once Lily arrives in the alternative Salem. Lillian makes for a mostly absent villain, leaving the bulk of the tension to Lily and Rowan. Readers will be swept into the inner workings of crucibles and witches and left eager for more.
A clichéd start gives way to a richly drawn world of keenly devised magic. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-250-05088-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
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 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
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