An additional purchase even where killer thrillers are king.
Nina’s not a killer, but she dreams of one every night.
Vermonter Nina Barrows, 17, was adopted by her single, lesbian, lawyer mother before Nina turned 1. Each night for as long as the black-haired, pale-skinned teen can remember, she’s experienced life from the perspective of “the boy,” including his memories of the “Bad Days,” when his father committed suicide. Since she realized these visions were not the norm, Nina has told no one what she’s seen, especially when the boy started hurting animals and graduated to killing people. She deals with it by trying not to sleep. When her plot to stop his next murder before it happens is discovered by her former best friend, strong, smart, handsome, white Warren, she enlists his help. Things go wrong in just such a way that neither is sure Nina’s visions are 100 percent true. Tracking the probable killer to the New Mexico desert, they plan a trip to visit Nina’s birth mother, part Navajo, who also lives out west. They hope to prove Nina’s dreams and expose a serial killer…but Nina learns shocking secrets about her past when she gets too close. Nina and Warren share narrative duties in Harrison’s debut, a tame, unsurprising parapsychological thriller. Neither voice is distinct, and twists are either telegraphed too early or just not twisty enough to increase interest.
An additional purchase even where killer thrillers are king. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: July 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2799-7
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
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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