Solid and fresh, especially for the second installment in a trilogy.
Following Lifel1k3 (2018), the scattered heroes grapple with whom to trust.
A quick yet thorough frontmatter recap primes readers to jump right into action where the first volume left off. Eve, gathering her newfound siblings while having a violent identity crisis after traumatic revelations, gets less screen time, allowing other cast members to shine. Her best friend, white Lemon Fresh, moves into a heroine role after escaping with logika Cricket and lifelike Ezekiel. But Cricket’s new robot body runs out of power, prompting Ezekiel to leave on a quest for batteries. After he’s gone, Lemon’s situation becomes desperate due to radiation sickness, which leaves her vulnerable to a BioMaas hunter, as that corporation wants to use her deviate abilities against Daedalus. Her storyline sends her to a Brotherhood-controlled city seeking medical care—where she then openly antagonizes the Brotherhood to prevent the execution of fellow deviates (one Asian, one with dark skin), who bring her into company of her own kind. Meanwhile, by the time Ezekiel returns, even Cricket has been stolen—forced to be a battle bot and struggling against Robotics Laws—so Ezekiel must make an unlikely alliance to find Lemon while trying to work through his feelings for both Eve and Ana. The worldbuilding, from lingo to Brotherhood mythology, develops alongside action sequences as the story builds to an exciting cliffhanger.
Solid and fresh, especially for the second installment in a trilogy. (Science fiction. 12-adult)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-1396-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: April 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
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
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment.
A manifesto for budding feminists.
At the core of this engaging novel are besties Chelsea, who is Irish- and Italian-American and into fashion and beauty, and Jasmine, who is African-American, loves the theater, and pushes back against bias around size (“I don’t need your fake compliments, your pity. I know I’m beautiful. Inside and out”). They and their sidekicks, half-Japanese/half-Lebanese Nadine and Puerto Rican Isaac, grow into first-class activists—simultaneously educating their peers and readers. The year gets off to a rocky start at their progressive, social justice–oriented New York City high school: Along with the usual angst many students experience, Jasmine’s father is terminally ill with cancer, and after things go badly in both their clubs, Jasmine and Chelsea form a women’s rights club which becomes the catalyst for their growth as they explore gender inequality and opportunities for change. This is an inspiring look at two strong-willed teens growing into even stronger young women ready to use their voices and take on the world, imploring budding feminists everywhere to “join the revolution.” The book offers a poetic balance of dialogue among the main characters, their peers, and the adults in their lives. The exquisite pacing, which intersperses everyday teen conflicts with weightier issues, demonstrates how teens long to be heard and taken seriously.
A book that seamlessly brings readers along on a journey of impact and empowerment. (resources for young activists, endnotes) (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0008-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2019
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