A tantalizing taste of trickery and enchantment.
Promised wishes, bewitching kisses, wild revels, and treacherous beauty—this collection of 14 tales plays with the beloved tropes found in the lore of faeries and immortal spirits across multiple cultures.
Hoping to save her ailing grandfather, a girl chases a xian in Chloe Gong’s “An Eternal Fire.” In “Fool,” by Rory Power, one faerie courtier ventures to Paris to steal a ballet dancer whom Mab admires. In Dhonielle Clayton’s “The Senescence,” Ambrosia leaves “the faerie ward of New Orleans” for its human counterpart to secure the future of her family’s court. Discontented and heartbroken teens flee from their pasts, bargain to rid themselves of pain, and brave monsters to find lost loved ones; they contend with nightmares, stolen memories, the allure of magic fruit, and the dangerous power of names. Political tension and intrigue swirl in the background, whether the story is set in the faerie realm or the mortal one. Not every tale has a happy ending, but the tricks, bittersweet lessons, and lingering ache of longing are satisfying nonetheless. Some of the stories visit worlds established in the authors’ other novels, but the vivid prose, enticing characters, and self-contained conflicts allow the entries to stand alone. The lineup of contributors, including Anna-Marie McLemore, Kwame Mbalia, L.L. McKinney, and Holly Black, will draw readers in. Fey and human cast members alike reflect a diversity of racial and cultural identities as well as gender identities and sexualities.
A tantalizing taste of trickery and enchantment. (contributor bios) (Anthology. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9781250823847
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
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
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
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