Sapphic love, a murder mystery, and a smash-the-patriarchy adventure add up to great fun.
Romance, murder, revenge! What more could readers ask for?
Ana Lezama de Urinza and Eustaquia “Kiki” de Sonza are best friends even though Ana was brought up in a brothel, while Kiki is the daughter of a baron. They struggle with a love that they know they can never admit to because the consequences in this historical Spanish Empire setting would be too great. Instead, they spend their evenings as teen vigilantes, gambling and drinking in bars and taking down those who exploit the weak. As fate would have it, violence finds them in their public lives: On the very night Kiki and Sebastian, the son of the Viceroy of Peru, are to make their first formal appearance as a betrothed couple, her older brother, Alejandro, is murdered. This launches the young women into an adventure that neither could have anticipated. Inspired by the real 17th-century Valiant Ladies of Potosí, this exciting novel opens with action and immediately draws readers in. The story’s swashbuckling tone contains a hint of the menace of Jack the Ripper, and the romance between Kiki and Ana is full of longing, making readers root for them. Alternating first-person narration offers a well-rounded view of events. The villain is easy to spot, but readers won’t mind: The strong writing and fast pace are more than enough to make this an absorbing read.
Sapphic love, a murder mystery, and a smash-the-patriarchy adventure add up to great fun. (author’s note, sources) (Historical adventure. 14-18)Pub Date: June 14, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-62220-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
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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