An alluring high-seas adventure.
There’s nothing more treacherous or binding than a deal with the devil.
El Diablo sent the storm that sank La Catalina, one of the last pirate ships in the Caribbean. Mar León de la Rosa grew up hearing how their father traded his soul to save Mar’s life and gain 16 years of prosperity, but they never believed it. Not even Mar’s magia, their secret, dangerous powers of fire and ice, could save their family and shipboard home. Fished out of the sea by Bas, the son of a pirate captain, 16-year-old Mar flounders to hide and control their magia so they can make a new life aboard La Ana, a ship that aids revolutionaries fighting Spanish colonization. Then el Diablo returns with a new bargain: Mar can hand over their own soul to free Papá’s. Set in the summer of 1820 but written in language that feels contemporary, this romantic coming-of-age fantasy offers endearing, flawed heroes, an enticing villain, and high emotional stakes. Bas, Mar’s romantic interest, swaggers with characteristic piratical charm that’s all the more appealing for his earnest eagerness for friendship, gentle kindness, and moments of sweet dorkiness. Novoa heightens the suspense by introducing key details that both foreshadow the danger ahead and reveal more about the world. The characters are primarily Latinx; Cuban and Mexican Mar’s magia is connected to their Mayan heritage. The crew of La Ana includes formerly enslaved Black sailors.
An alluring high-seas adventure. (author’s note) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-37801-4
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
