An engrossing, well-plotted third volume that whets the appetite for the series’ finale.
In the third volume of the Solitary Tales, the face of evil shows itself.
The noose is tightening on beleaguered teen Chris Buckley. Previously, he relocated from Chicago to his mother Tara’s hometown of Solitary, N.C.—a major mistake and part of the reason Tara self-medicates with alcohol. Angry and grieving at the sacrificial death of his friend Jocelyn, Chris stabbed the complicit Pastor Marsh in the chest; yet the not-so-right reverend lives on, blissfully delivering his perverted Sunday sermons. In this volume, Chris’s former employer Iris remains missing since her inn, the Crag’s Head, burned to the ground, and fellow student Oli dies from drowning, although Chris fears he was murdered for defecting from the camp of bully Gus Staunch. While attending summer school at Harrington High, Chris befriends an Atlanta transplant, lovely senior Lily, who helps him forget sweet Kelsey Page from his art class. Lily is confident, poised and definitely interested. Although he wants to be a typical teen hanging out with his gorgeous girlfriend, compassionate, conflicted Chris is disturbed by nightmarish visions of people in extreme distress, sometimes covered in blood. The dynamics of his relationship with his tippling mother aren’t making anything better—he’s more or less the parent now—yet he refuses to ask for help from his born-again-Christian dad. In this, the third of four books in the series (the final volume, Hurt, is due for release in 2013), the pacing and plotting have significantly intensified. Tension ratchets up, suggesting that a major showdown of biblical proportions is on the horizon. Several key revelations, including the truth of Chris’s heritage, begin to partially explain the strange brew that is Solitary, and some resolution is reached by novel’s end, although many unanswered questions remain. As in preceding books, Thrasher plumbs multiple layers of teenage Chris’ life: a romantic and potentially sexual relationship with Lily; the claustrophobic creepiness of his adopted hometown and the ongoing mystery of its absentee residents; patriarch Ichor Staunch, whose word is God to the locals; peculiar, pixilated Aunt Alice; and Chris’s own destiny, which intertwines with that of Solitary. At the book’s core is Chris’ escalating moral crisis (the titular “temptation”), well-illustrated by a pricey, enticing gift from the very man he most deeply distrusts. So far, the three volumes have sustained an impressive level of suspense and artfulness; the last chapter should be no different.
An engrossing, well-plotted third volume that whets the appetite for the series’ finale.Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1434764171
Page Count: 432
Publisher: David C. Cook
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A dizzying, intimate romance.
Rowan teams up with her academic nemesis to win a citywide scavenger hunt.
Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been rivals in a never-ending game of one-upmanship since freshman year. Now, on the last day of senior year, Rowan hopes to best Neil once and for all as valedictorian, then win Howl, a scavenger hunt with a $5,000 cash prize. She also hopes to sneak away to her favorite romance author’s book signing; no one’s ever respected her passion for the genre, not even her children’s book author/illustrator parents. But Rowan’s named salutatorian, and vengeful classmates plot to end her and Neil’s reign. At first their partnership is purely strategic, but as the pair traverse the city, they begin to open up. Rowan learns that Neil is Jewish too and can relate to both significant cultural touchstones and experiences of casual anti-Semitism. As much as Rowan tries to deny it, real feelings begin to bloom. Set against a lovingly evoked Seattle backdrop, Rowan and Neil’s relationship develops in an absorbing slow burn, with clever banter and the delicious tension of first love. Issues of class, anti-Semitism, and sex are discussed frankly. Readers will emerge just as obsessed with this love story as Rowan is with her beloved romance novels. Rowan’s mother is Russian Jewish and Mexican, and her father is American Jewish and presumably White; most other characters are White.
A dizzying, intimate romance. (author’s note) (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: July 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4024-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
A period Christian romance that is lean on historical atmosphere.
A plot to expose a greedy nobleman in 1386 England leads two justice seekers to fall in love.
When Violet, named for her unusually colored eyes, learns that her grandmother has become a victim of Baron Dunham’s unlawful so-called protection tax, she is determined to alert King Richard to the injustice but is intercepted by the baron’s men. After she is taken before the baron, Violet, who was adopted as a young child, learns a tragic and shocking secret about her own history. The baron, meanwhile, is scheming to increase his own power and has plans that threaten Violet. But Violet keeps crossing paths with Sir Merek of Dericott, a knight who has recently joined the baron’s household at the king’s request. Sir Merek proves trustworthy, and he and Violet join forces to try to find the secret account book that will prove to the king what the baron has been doing to exploit his subjects. Over time, Violet and Sir Merek fall in love. Though Violet is high-spirited, and she and Sir Merek are well developed, most of the cast is one-dimensional, and the medieval setting feels spare and underdeveloped. There are some references to previous novels in the series, but this entry, in which Christianity is woven throughout, succeeds as a stand-alone. All characters are cued White.
A period Christian romance that is lean on historical atmosphere. (Historical romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2023
ISBN: 9780840708199
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
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