A challenging thematic sequel that never talks down to YA audiences.
A girl and a special dolphin lead a lost ship through space in this YA sequel.
Andi and Artie Johnston are 12-year-old twins traveling the cosmos. Andi rides her “supernatural” golden dolphin, Lux, with whom she has a mental bond. The brilliant but taciturn Artie is safe aboard the Kronos, a sailing ship belonging to Capt. Grubb and his crew. Lux is pulling the ship through space so the crew can eventually “find their lost people.” Suddenly, a mysterious armored figure approaches the ship and accosts Lux. This is Mynost, who seems to demand the dolphin’s help and transmits to Lux the image of an eye in a circle. The ship’s navigator, an aquatic selkie named Calypso, believes the image refers to the legendary Oracle, which Andi and Lux are best suited to find. Some aboard the ship don’t want them to leave, however. After several violent acts demoralize the crew—and one severely injures Donalys, Grubb’s 10-year-old nephew—Andi and Lux scout out a distant world. On it, they meet the alien Mashah. He leads them to a series of metal symbols that form the Horologium locus, which will aid in the journey. Back on the Kronos, it’s soon discovered that Mynost also covets the Horologium locus, and an unthinkable choice is made to preserve the mission. Reynolds’ protagonists may barely be teenagers, but their complex emotional travails make for elevated YA reading. For example, Andi keeps a secret from Artie about their mother’s true fate; meanwhile, their best friend, Jubal, has an abusive, alcoholic mother. The depictions of deep space are exquisite: “Each ball of sun, every pinprick of far-flung stars, and the wavy, curvy nebulae whispered to her.” Unexpected terrors, like a creature made of blood, break up ethical discussions and interpersonal drama that give the space journey a disquieting realism. The final quarter reveals a surprise enemy in the crew’s midst and some dark cosmic happenings.
A challenging thematic sequel that never talks down to YA audiences.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2022
ISBN: 979-8218070588
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Oct. 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
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