In 1913 Arcane, Mo., 13-year-old Natalie Minks loves mechanical things, and her father’s bicycle-repair shop is the perfect place to tinker. Naturally curious, she is intrigued when a medicine show comes to town with promises of healing potions and an array of unusual machines. Folks in town are skeptical of “snake oil salesmen,” but Natalie suspects that the strangers are more sinister than mere con artists. At the same time, she experiences visions that may be connected to the town’s history and these mysterious travelers. These visions heighten her fears that her family and town are in danger from unresolved deals made with the Devil himself. This unusual story, with elements of folklore, tall tales and steampunk, has rich details of small-town America in the early 20th century as well as the impact of budding technology. Natalie is a well-drawn protagonist with sturdy supporting characters around her. The tension built into the solidly constructed plot is complemented by themes that explore the literal and metaphorical role of crossroads and that thin line between good and evil. (Historical fantasy. 10 & up)
Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-547-24187-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2010
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
An expansive and engaging sequel that builds on the fresh worldbuilding of the original.
Emory and Baz find themselves separated across time and space in this sequel to Curious Tides (2023).
Following the events in the Dovermere sea caves, Emory Ainsleif and Romie Brysden follow in the footsteps of their favorite book, Song of the Drowned Gods, and cross into the Wychwood. Cut off from their friends back at Aldryn College, Emory and Romie befriend a young witch named Aspen Amberyl in hopes of finding another magical door and continuing their journey toward the sea of ash. As the girls travel farther down the starlit path between worlds, they face heightened perils. Back in Emory and Romie’s home world, things aren’t much better. Baz, Romie’s brother, faces immense scrutiny and injustice for being Eclipse-born, and his friend Kai Salonga is hiding from the magical government after escaping from imprisonment. The boys rally their allies to try to help Emory and Romie, but it’s difficult to communicate across worlds. All the magic students can do is keep following the song they hear in their dreams. Lacelle continues the strong worldbuilding she established in the previous book, populating the story’s new realms with complex systems of magic and interesting mythologies. This sequel takes on a darker tone as the story develops, growing and shifting alongside its characters. Queer representation is present in the form of same-sex love interests and gender-diverse characters. Main characters are cued white.
An expansive and engaging sequel that builds on the fresh worldbuilding of the original. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781665939300
Page Count: 544
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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