The combination of underexplained plotting, baroque setup, and inconsistent characters creates a bewildering read.
Ash finds herself trapped in the cult her mother grew up in, surrounded by carnivorous corn and possibly destined to have her body inhabited by an immortal ancestor.
Ash has always been haunted by visions of a hanging girl, from whom her peculiar, mystical mom protects her with a series of invisible tattoos. But when her mother disappears, Ash and her twin brother, Rhys, suspect she’s been taken back to her ancestral cult, and they set out to rescue her. Upon arriving, Ash is immediately drawn to Dane, who meets them in the car junkyard just beyond the boundaries of the corn. Turns out these cars foreshadow the fact that people who wander through this cornfield end up being eaten (unless they are magical like Dane). Once in the cult, Ash’s visions begin revealing a fantastical back story that involves true love gone wrong, immortality, black magic, and plenty of bloodshed, all of which is difficult to follow. Equally confusing is how quickly Ash accepts the strange cult rituals and how her concern for her mother and brother only rarely surfaces. Stylistically, metaphors abound, but characters and their relationships are given far less attention and development. The end sets readers up for another installment.
The combination of underexplained plotting, baroque setup, and inconsistent characters creates a bewildering read. (Paranormal romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-399-16648-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
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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