A YA adventure with ethereal prose and appealing characters.
In Dunn’s YA sci-fi debut, set in a world where people can see glimpses of future events, one teenager sees a vision of herself killing her little sister.
As the story opens, Callie is a day shy of 17, the age when everyone in the nation of North Amerie receives a memory from their future selves. Most expect to see what career path they’ve taken, but Callie witnesses something disturbing: she walks into what appears to be a hospital room and stabs her 6-year-old sis Jessa in the heart with a syringe. Predicted crimes like these usually lead to arrest, but a sympathetic guard at the Future Memory Agency lets Callie escape. Callie thinks that Jessa’s psychic ability is the reason that she’s eventually headed for a hospital, so she struggles to keep her future memory a secret from both FuMA and the psychic-hunting Technology Research Agency. However, Callie hopes that she can somehow alter her future. There’s a whirlwind of plot in this novel: an imprisoned Callie later tries to stop FuMA from forcibly retrieving her future memory, and she eventually teams with the Underground, a group of people with psychic abilities who are hiding from TechRA. There’s also an abundance of mystery: Jessa is a precognitive but may also be capable of much more, and a seedy FuMA doctor, Bellows, claims to have known Callie’s father, who left her when she was young. Romance comes in the form of Callie’s enigmatic schoolmate Logan, who inexplicably ended his friendship with her five years ago. Their love, however, may be doomed from the start, as Logan is the Underground’s contact in Eden City, which Callie is avoiding in order to steer clear of Jessa. However, that doesn’t impede many moments of the couple kissing or swoon-worthy lines such as, “I don’t think I’ll ever be any good at leaving Logan.” Hints of FuMA’s ultimate goal amp up the story’s tension considerably, as the obviously deceitful agency may be working toward a significantly grimmer future. Dunn leaves numerous questions unanswered, particularly the origins of future memory, which could potentially be explored in future books.
A YA adventure with ethereal prose and appealing characters.Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-63375-238-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
Frustratingly slow and lacking in magical wonder.
Despite living her happily-ever-after, Evangeline can’t help but strive to recover her lost memories in this trilogy closer.
Evangeline Fox awakens in the strong arms of Prince Apollo, her apparent husband, who swears to protect her from the evil Lord Jacks, who stole her memories. Unfortunately, Evangeline remembers nothing of her long and complex journey in the Magnificent North or her past romances; only the pain in her heart lets her know something is missing. At Wolf Hall, Evangeline seeks ways to unlock her missing memories, including enlisting the help of a mysterious guard named Archer, even as Apollo’s behavior becomes more and more controlling. The pacing and plot feel stagnant at first, with Evangeline remembering things in flashes and moments of brief feelings, but things finally pick up once her memories return. With the point of view rotating among Evangeline, Apollo, and Jacks, there are few narrative surprises, but it’s intriguing to delve into the minds of an antagonist and a Fate. The story’s inclusion of the legendary Valors and the fantastical fairy-tale setting are unfortunately overshadowed by the love triangle’s dramatic tug-of-war romance. Likewise, the book’s various themes—power, hope, stories, and the nature of humanity—are of interest but handled in an unfocused way. The conclusion, at least, is satisfying, and it hints at future tales set in this world. Evangeline, Jacks, and Archer read white; Apollo has dark hair and olive skin.
Frustratingly slow and lacking in magical wonder. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781250851208
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
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