Superlative characters and worldbuilding ensure this SF tale will linger for some time.
In Gadeken’s YA debut and prospective series launch, people survive on a strange planet with no recollection of how they got there.
Eighteen-year-old Eff Sharp has no idea how she wound up stranded on an unknown world. She has only “snippets” of memories of Earth and her parents, but this is definitely not Earth; an orange dwarf star paints the sky a marigold hue. After three months of solitude, she’s shocked to see other humans—two men, who take her back to their colony, Nabukko. The colony is inhabited by a few hundred people who, though they remember more than Eff, they don’t know the circumstances that led them to this planet. Eff gradually befriends the colonists, helping to forage for “anything edible” and scavenge for supplies. She finds herself drawn to a couple of guys who open up to her. That’s quite a feat, as most of the Nabukko residents are reluctant to divulge anything about themselves or where they’re from. This lack of candor ultimately leads to a startling revelation and ensuing accusation. Gadeken’s story thrives on mysterious details, from seemingly random pods housing supplies to the colonists’ evasive responses to virtually all of Eff’s questions. While not all of her questions are resolved in this series opener, some answers come to light, and not just in the final act. The enormous cast comprises a bevy of distinct personalities. An understated love triangle serves as an effective backdrop for discussions about survival, the protagonist’s slowly returning memories, and Eff’s vibrant, bizarre dreams and visions. The author masterfully depicts the environment, including the dense Black Forest and Nabukko’s well-constructed buildings (as well as signs of the planet’s unnerving creatures). The prose brims with vivid metaphors—pipes running between tanks in the hydro and aquaponics building resemble a “sea of mechanical jellyfish.” The astonishing ending will leave readers craving a sequel.
Superlative characters and worldbuilding ensure this SF tale will linger for some time.Pub Date: June 2, 2024
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 331
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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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