The book suffers somewhat from middle-book syndrome, but it is still solid enough to keep fans reading.
The second entry in the Taking trilogy finds Kyra mixing it up with a group of fellow Returned and searching for her lost love.
Derting wastes no time diving right back in to Kyra's journey, one that is just as physical as the first book’s was emotional. This change of pace is a little jarring: Gone is the exploration of Kyra's alarming reappearance and what that means to those around her. In its place are missions, camp life, sci-fi hokum and a new love interest. The least interesting part of the series' prior installment was Kyra's growing attraction to Tyler, a character who has little to offer besides a nice smile and cut abs. The author improves this element tremendously this time around. Kyra's budding relationship with fellow Returned Simon is much more scintillating. Simon has Tyler beat in every way: He’s as smart and brave and capable as he is attractive, bouncing off Kyra's negative vibes with a refreshing cautious optimism. Less exciting is the book's overall structure, or lack thereof. Kyra and her Returned posse drift from place to place, occasionally poking the National Security Agency but more often than not just constantly moving. Enough bread crumbs are dropped to hint at the forthcoming conclusion, and of course there's a cliffhanger heading into the final book, but all the traveling makes for one very episodic installment.
The book suffers somewhat from middle-book syndrome, but it is still solid enough to keep fans reading. (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-229363-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
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
© 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.
