A cute, if lightly developed, queer friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance.
Ivy is obsessed with the television show Hot, Magical, and Deadly, and she has a huge crush on Mackenzie, who, due to a recent argument, is unfortunately now her ex–best friend.
After she became captain of the volleyball team, Mack no longer seemed to have time for Ivy; now, she has absolutely zero patience for Ivy’s obsession with the H-MAD fandom. But when Ivy’s home alone during a thunderstorm, she manages to magically manifest Weston Razorbrook, the dreamy main character from the show, directly into her bed. She’s forced to team up with Mack and Henry, a new fandom friend, to figure out what to do next. The trio soon learns that this version of Weston is directly taken from Ivy’s self-insert romantic fanfictions, tropes included. Unfortunately for Ivy, the tropes she loves in her stories are a lot less romantic in real life. Despite Weston’s volatile nature, Ivy wants to keep him in her life, against Mack’s constant insistence otherwise. This nerdy love story with queer protagonists is enjoyable, although at times it feels superficial: The plot-driven story would have benefitted from further development of the characters and setting. Ivy’s reactions to the manifestation of a turbulent man from her fanfictions doesn’t always seem believable. Ivy is cued white; Mack reads Black.
A cute, if lightly developed, queer friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9781250819185
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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