A hauntingly beautiful take on a classic horror story that will leave readers’ skin crawling in the best way possible.
High school friends must survive a haunted graduation party.
When valedictorian Arden’s perfect future—a private college that guarantees medical school admission—is derailed because her feuding, divorced real estate agent parents spent her tuition money on Bucktown’s notoriously haunted house, the Deinhart Manor, she’s devastated. All she’s ever wanted was to dismantle the fatphobic and racist medical system that works against people of color like her (Arden is Black and Puerto Rican). Luckily, her two best friends, Remi and Maddy May, have a money-making plan to save her college dreams: charging admission for a graduation party at the spooky, abandoned manor. White queer Remi can’t wait to see her crush at the party; bilingual Mexican American Maddy May has a complicated relationship with her drama club co-star, the Romeo to her Juliet. The celebratory mood quickly changes once the teens realize the house won’t let anyone leave. Teaming up with her former fling, Nathaniel, a Black science geek, Arden and her friends work together to figure out why the manor wants to keep everyone inside. In her latest, Anderson revamps the haunted house narrative while weaving in complex characters whose bonds and hope for the future can save them all. Vivid descriptions contribute to the palpable suspense as the pace builds and the stakes rise.
A hauntingly beautiful take on a classic horror story that will leave readers’ skin crawling in the best way possible. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781250909473
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
A thrilling, climactic storm with an abrupt conclusion.
In this much-anticipated trilogy closer following 2019’s Children of Virtue and Vengeance, an enemy from a land across the sea carries out conquests to fulfill a prophecy that threatens the entire world.
The war between the maji and the crown of Orïsha ends when the Skulls, a tribe of masked, pale-skinned invaders, interrupt the pivotal battle, abducting Zélie, Tzain, Amari, Inan, and dozens of maji from their homeland. Caged on a ship and cut off from their magic, they have no choice but to set aside their bitterness and distrust to fight for their freedom. Ruthless and empowered by the volatile magic of bloodmetal weapons, the Skulls hunt for Zélie, “a girl with the blood of the sun,” at the command of their king, Baldyr, who prepares for his ascension to godhood during the Blood Moon. As much as she longs to return home, visions and an intertwined fate pull Zélie, along with her companions, to the land of New Gaīa in search of a girl with russet-brown skin and eyes that glitter like diamonds. United goals, fresh conflict, and impending doom provide invigorating gusts of momentum that push the story out of the doldrums of the previous book. On its own, this installment is a suspenseful and compelling expansion of the world, but as a series finale, the conflict seems disconnected from the first two books, and the resolution feels rushed.
A thrilling, climactic storm with an abrupt conclusion. (guide to clans) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 25, 2024
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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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