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RECLAIMED

Lengthy but ultimately intriguing.

A small-town girl can’t choose between two twin brothers in this psychological romance.

Jenna feels stifled in the little town of Solitude, Ark., where she’s lived all her life with her mother. Jenna dreams only of leaving home and living in the wider world when 17-year-old twin boys and their mom buy Jenna’s recently deceased grandfather’s house. First she meets Ian, a straight-A student who has been trying to reclaim his memories, mostly lost three months ago after a traumatic event. Then she meets Luke, who insists he’s the bad twin, always in trouble. However, Jenna can’t help being more attracted to Luke, although she knows she’s going behind Ian’s back to meet him. Complicating matters is Jenna’s mom, who suffers from the family tendency to drink and for whom Jenna feels responsible. Just when Jenna firmly decides she loves Luke, Luke tells her what really happened the night Ian lost his memory, a secret that changes everything. Guillory writes the entire novel through the shifting though identical first-person viewpoints of the three adolescents—readers will have to pay strict attention to chapter subheadings. Frequent nature-inspired metaphors (“the shadows [of the woods] swallowed me”) add depth. If the psychology gets a bit too convoluted toward the end, much of the story remains believable.

Lengthy but ultimately intriguing. (Psychological romance. 12-16)

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-937053-88-8

Page Count: 296

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Review Posted Online: July 17, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013

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LEGENDARY

From the Caraval series , Vol. 2

Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.

Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.

Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.

Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)

Pub Date: May 29, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2

Page Count: 464

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018

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THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN TEENAGER

Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.

A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.

Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.

Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)

Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018

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