A jaw-dropping second installment ready for a third.
The perilous intricacies of espionage run deeper than ever in this high-octane sequel.
After a harrowing and nearly fatal start to junior year, Nadia Riley returns along with her team of fellow teens, Jack, Libby, Alan, and brazen new student Simon, for their second semester at Desert Mountain Academy. No sooner do things get back to normal— “normal” being relative in a CIA black ops training program—than the threats and the traitor, Damon Moore, from the start of the year return. Damon is desperate for Nadia’s help—so desperate that he is willing to share information about impending dangers and truths that will shatter the world as Nadia knows it. Stone (Desert Dark, 2016) holds true to her diverse cast of teens (Irish-Lebanese-American Nadia, dark-skinned Damon, Israeli-American Alan, and neurodivergent Libby are joined by out-and-audacious Simon). The alternating third-person narration is used to explore the individual plot intrigues surrounding each team member, not only showcasing fascinating and lethal minutiae of intelligence operations, but also exploring the complex web of secrets that intertwines each individual with their family and each other. Character development and beyond-stereotype representations are sacrificed for hairpin plot twists and heart-stopping tension as the narrative barrels toward a conclusion that reveals explosive secrets. While a strong spy narrative, the inclusion of diverse identities here is not well-crafted, unfortunately reinforcing negative representation.
A jaw-dropping second installment ready for a third. (Thriller. 12-16)Pub Date: July 31, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3836-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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