Its protagonist of Asian heritage aside, it’s a standard-issue dystopian middle volume.
Even though she is on Earth, Phaet can’t hide from the evil, totalitarian Lunar government for long.
Months after Phaet and Wes’ desperate flight from the Moon in Dove Arising (2015), they’ve taken refuge at his home, Saint Oda, where Phaet’s become a member of the island community. Still, they cover up what actually happened on Wes’ mission as well as the fact that Phaet’s from the Moon—the highly religious Odans, who’ve previously suffered unprovoked Lunar attacks, call Lunars “demons.” But when a representative from Pacifia, one of the two large, rival Earthbound powers, shows up with video footage of the Lunar forces torturing Phaet’s imprisoned brother, Phaet covertly uses Odan technology to contact one of their Moon spies. She learns that Lunars have allied with Pacifia, located her and Wes, and will attack Saint Oda shortly. Her identity unveiled, Phaet’s sent on a suicide mission against Pacifia to halt the attack, only to have Wes join her and decide instead to take them to Pacifia’s enemy, Battery Bay, for help. The narrative moments that explore the Earthbound civilizations are interesting but over quickly. When the attack comes, Phaet sneaks back to the Moon to rescue her brother but finds she has become a symbol of the resistance. The slow Lunar plot culminates in elections for the all-powerful council. Glaring weak spots include secondary characters’ unconvincing motives and tacked-on romantic plots.
Its protagonist of Asian heritage aside, it’s a standard-issue dystopian middle volume. (Science fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-451-46902-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
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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