A gutsy debut that will leave readers wanting more.
A teenager who sells memories for a living gets tangled up in a risky assignment while being tracked by the authorities.
Eighteen-year-old Liv Newman works for LifeCorp, a company that manufactures and sells “everything from toothbrushes to televisions—the goods that keep the entire Metro going.” She’s an EmoProxy—someone who’s been mechanically modified to sell memories, or Scraps, and enhance the productivity of wealthy Uppers in a futuristic Boston. Liv, who’s cued Black, is from the Lowers, a community built by the residents whose labor keeps the Metro running but who are unable to reap the benefits of their work. When she’s offered a lucrative job in the dangerous Outerlands, far beyond the surveilled city, she must figure out how to survive until payday. Before venturing on her mysterious assignment, Liv meets rookie Forceman Adrian Rao, a loyal, young, brown-skinned officer also employed by LifeCorp, which he credits with saving his life after he was left in the Metro by his Outerlands raider family. Their serendipitous meeting takes them on an adventure during which they test their limits as their feelings toward each other evolve, a journey narrated in their alternating voices. Tew’s fantastic contribution to the genre is full of heart. Themes such as class, labor, and ethics lie at the center of the story, which also features plenty of action, contributing to the enjoyable pacing. Fans of writers such as N.K. Jemisin and Octavia Butler are in for a treat.
A gutsy debut that will leave readers wanting more. (map) (Dystopian romance. 12-adult)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9780593710357
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Joy Revolution
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship.
A battered girl and an injured rugby star spark up an ill-advised romance at an Irish secondary school.
Beautiful, waiflike, 15-year-old Shannon has lived her entire life in Ballylaggin. Alternately bullied at school and beaten by her ne’er-do-well father, she’s hopeful for a fresh start at Tommen, a private school. Seventeen-year-old Johnny, who has a hair-trigger temper and a severe groin injury, is used to Dublin’s elite-level rugby but, since his family’s move to County Cork, is now stuck captaining Tommen’s middling team. When Johnny angrily kicks a ball and knocks Shannon unconscious (“a soft female groan came from her lips”), a tentative relationship is born. As the two grow closer, Johnny’s past and Shannon’s present become serious obstacles to their budding love, threatening Shannon’s safety. Shannon’s portrayal feels infantilized (“I looked down at the tiny little female under my arm”), while Johnny comes across as borderline obsessive (“I knew I shouldn’t be touching her, but how the hell could I not?”). Uneven pacing and choppy sentences lead to a sudden climax and an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending. Repetitive descriptions, abundant and misogynistic dialogue (Johnny, to his best friend: “who’s the bitch with a vagina now?”), and graphic violence also weigh down this lengthy tome (considerably trimmed down from its original, self-published length). The cast of lively, well-developed supporting characters, especially Johnny’s best friend and Shannon’s protective older brother, is a bright spot. Major characters read white.
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship. (author’s note, pronunciations, glossary, song moments, playlists) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781728299945
Page Count: 626
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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
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