A strong start peters out to a patchy, less-than-memorable finish.
The secret origin of the viral plague of memory loss afflicting the world is revealed in this duology closer.
Picking up the action where The Memory Index (2022) left off and driving on with minimal recapping, Vaca sends his multiethnic group of four teenagers back to the secret laboratory in the Tennessee woods for more shared “knifing” into the memories of others, reclamation of repressed memories, fragmentary premonitions of future disasters, and clues that the secretive Memory Ghosts may not be the terrorist front they’re billed to be, not to mention shocking revelations that the massive Memory Frontier corporation, sole source of high-tech recording gadgets that purportedly preserve and restore memories deleted by the Memory Killer, has a nefarious secret agenda. Though an ingenious premise and period references to ’80s-era music add flavor to a plotline expertly boosted by short chapters and multiple narrators, the author not only loses control of his cast—trotting in four new rival memory knifers and a major villain to play scenes and then vanish abruptly—but rather than let the young folk take the lead in saving the world, he goes for multiple timely interventions by grown-ups to rescue them and do most of the heavy lifting to bring the tale to its conveniently tidied-up resolution.
A strong start peters out to a patchy, less-than-memorable finish. (playlist, discussion questions) (Science fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 9780840701152
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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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