A fluid and inventive journey with a few dead-end detours.
Ruckus presents a YA fantasy novel about a modern girl’s adventures in disparate times and places.
Moliis a young girl from Penglai, China. She travels to London for the funeral of her father, Morris, a museum curator. His last work before his death was on the Rouran period—the Rouran ruled a portion of central Asia, part of which is now modern-day Kyrgyzstan. The exhibit on the Rouran era at the British Museum is not exactly popular; nevertheless, Moli and her aunt Edith dutifully attend, and Moli is able to show off her knowledge about a mythical dragon’s nine sons. Later, things take a turn when Moli is awakened in her hotel room by a dragon called Qiuniu, one of those sons, who leads her to a place in an alternate reality called the Corridor of War. Moli’s situation is further complicated when she travels back through time to the Rouran period. The Rourans think she is a shaman and keep her in a cage. Later, the action moves back to contemporary London, where Moli and three others are tasked with an opportunity to save the world. Their main opposition: Adolf Hitler, transported to the modern era. The story is rich in incident and packed with surprises, but a few elements deflate some of the excitement; at one point, James Walker, a boy who joins Moli on her mission to save the world, has to endure a lengthy lecture about where Covid-19 might have originated (“Many epidemiologists and scientists claimed that the virus could only come from nature, and if a quarter of them still stand by their professional code of conduct, what do you make of the situation then?”). Still, the mixture of time travel, mythology, SF tropes, and a spirited youngster in the lead makes for a truly wild narrative.
A fluid and inventive journey with a few dead-end detours.Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2022
ISBN: 9781915338402
Page Count: 223
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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
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BOOK REVIEW
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