by Barry Lyga ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 9, 2014
This conclusion does not stand alone, and it may make readers question their commitment to the trilogy as a whole.
Jazz Dent continues to hunt serial killers, and this time the hunt is all in the family.
Jazz, son of notorious killer Billy Dent, Connie, Jazz’s girlfriend, and Howie, his hemophiliac best friend, were all in peril at the end of the previous hunt (Game, 2013). Jazz wakes up with a bullet in his leg at the scene of a deadly shootout with half of the serial-killer duo Hat-Dog. Connie wakes up a captive of Billy, and Howie wakes up in a hospital room waiting for his overprotective parents. Each must escape and work together when they can to find and stop Billy while trying to discover Jazz’s Aunt Sam’s part in Billy’s reign of terror. Can they do so and avoid the cops in New York City and the small town of Lobo’s Nod? Will Jazz be the next serial-killer Crow King—or will he die at Billy’s hand? And can Jazz find and save his mother? Lyga’s gruesome and at-times overwrought conclusion to his I Hunt Killers trilogy telegraphs its big, secret twist far too early. Though Jazz, Connie and Howie are realistic teens, few of the supporting cast act like real people. An incest subplot adds to the ick factor.
This conclusion does not stand alone, and it may make readers question their commitment to the trilogy as a whole. (Thriller. 14 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-316-19870-7
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2014
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edited by Barry Lyga ; illustrated by Colleen Doran
by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
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
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by Rebecca Ross ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2023
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy.
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New York Times Bestseller
A war between gods plays havoc with mortals and their everyday lives.
In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85743-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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