A multilayered and well-told paranormal thriller with strong character and plot development.
A teenager investigates why so many residents in her Colorado town report alien abductions in this YA SF/romance novel.
For a small town, Dawson certainly has a high number of people attending Alien Abductees Anonymous meetings. They have similar stories: waking up unable to move in a bare, white room; sadistic poking and prodding; triangular-headed beings. Dutch Indonesian Cassidy Roekiem, a high school senior, is skeptical, but she’s had odd experiences like those of the support group, including losing two hours of her life and having flashbacks. As Cassidy makes contact with others who’ve had comparable flashbacks, she grows closer to handsome Hayden McGraw, who’s hiding his own link to aliens. Meanwhile, she’s looking into the so-called wellness resort Eden Estate, where her mother, Nina, has been staying since her research for a book on the 1985 vanishing of the president’s daughter, Jane Flanagan, turned into an obsession and breakdown. Alarmed by many red flags at Eden, Cassidy is determined to spring Nina by finding Flanagan herself. With the help of friends, Cassidy investigates the case—becoming embroiled in several dangerous secrets, including the connections among Eden Estate, Flanagan, and the CIA’s top-secret Parallax Human Intervention Unit. In her latest YA novel, Barneveld offers a cleverly constructed plot, letting readers in on much that Cassidy doesn’t know while still springing an unexpected development late in the tale that adds an intriguing complication. Cassidy’s an engaging character, tenacious, smart, and linguistically gifted; her facility in American Sign Language comes in handy. Also blending in well with the overall story is the romance between Cassidy and Hayden, which gains an extra dimension to the usual angst-y teen passion because of his secret life and its expectations.
A multilayered and well-told paranormal thriller with strong character and plot development.Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68-281573-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A magical story with a classic Disney feel exploring love, friendship, and leading amid hardship.
Shortly before the new queen’s coronation, a monster wreaks havoc, forcing a young fairy princess to intervene at her own risk.
In Pixie Hollow, the Never Fairies of Spring, Summer, and Autumn work to create seasons for the humans on the Mainland, while the fairies of Winter remain apart in the Winter Woods. Clarion, a governing-talent fairy who’s soon to take over as queen of Pixie Hollow, often looks wonderingly at the Winter Woods. But crossing the border is against the rules set forth by her mentor, Queen Elvina. When a monster from Winter breaks free and enters Spring, Clarion bristles at Elvina’s dismissal. Determined to be involved, she secretly travels to Winter, meets with Milori, the Warden of the Winter Woods, and learns that the land is nothing like what she’s heard, making her wonder what else the queen has been untruthful about. Together Milori and Clarion work to discover the secrets of Pixie Hollow, which may save them—or lead to death. Set in a magical place of flowers and pixie dust, this story considers the control we have over the roles we’re assigned. Clarion is a beautifully complex character—strong yet insecure, lovable due to her willingness to prioritize relationships over rules. Themes of fear, forbidden love, and good vs. evil are present in this fast-paced, engaging tale. Main characters are cued white.
A magical story with a classic Disney feel exploring love, friendship, and leading amid hardship. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781368098458
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Disney Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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
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