A supernatural force of satisfying fury.
The Trudeau twins return with a vengeance to protect themselves and their loved ones as a conflict as old as the gods stirs in this second series entry.
Nine months ago, Cris and Clem balanced the scales of justice with the help of Papa Eshu, restoring their family’s place in their community and their mother’s rightful position as Queen of the Gen Council. Not everyone who wronged Cris or her family got the punishment they deserved, however. With the blessing of a god older than Papa Eshu, Cris takes justice into her own hands. Meanwhile, Clem sinks beneath the weight of a secret: His resurrection ritual shattered the soul of Yves Bordeaux, his boyfriend, who’s trapped between life and death. Jean-Louise Petit, the necromancer who promised to help, abandons Clem when they learn that the Moon King, a terrifying and dangerous god, used them to escape into the natural realm. The violent murder of the mayor thrusts Cris and Clem back together as the cycle of history repeats itself, and their mother takes the blame for a crime she didn’t commit. Cris’ and Clem’s frustrations boil into rage at the social systems around them, designed to perpetuate injustice. As with Blood Debts (2023), this story grounds mystery and magic in relevant real-world issues, demonstrating how the past continues to shape the present. The cast of characters is primarily Black.
A supernatural force of satisfying fury. (author’s note, magic chart, family trees) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9781250825957
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Tor Teen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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 heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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