Lots of fun and tons better than the average dystopian romance.
A high-stakes chase through a dystopian future in search of a hidden land called “the Blue.”
Sixteen-year-old Nat Kestral works as a blackjack dealer and card counter in New Vegas, the frozen wasteland that’s all that’s left of the former Sin City after extreme climate change and pollution overtook the Earth. She’s guarding her own secrets and powers. When she scores a necklace with a mysterious stone from her boss that could be a map that leads to the Blue, she enlists the help of handsome, golden-haired Wes and a team of mercenaries to take her there. Bullets fly alongside high-speed car chases and narrow escapes, and inevitable romantic sparks between Wes and Nat ensue. Add in Wes’ wary, Lost-Boys–like crew and a host of zombielike creatures called Thrillers (named for the Michael Jackson song), and de la Cruz and Johnson score a hit. The story sputters at first as readers navigate parallel scenes between Wes and Nat that are often hard to follow as they try to simultaneously digest the dystopian environment and the action taking place. The plot quickly jells once the two come together, and the alternate narrating chapters focus on the same plot and the growing romance. The action soon accelerates, and readers will find themselves completely immersed in the authors’ dangerous world.
Lots of fun and tons better than the average dystopian romance. (Dystopian romance. 14 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-399-25754-4
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2013
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
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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