An exciting series starter with engaging concepts and memorable characters.
Cammaratta’s debut YA dystopian novel follows the efforts of two teenagers fighting to enact revolution in a society with dark secrets.
On the opulent island of Kaycie, where social status reigns supreme, 16-year-old Serenity Ward lives a life of fame, wealth, and comfort. However, her life, as she knows it, is based on a lie. Most people believe that Kaycie is the last surviving vestige of humanity after a global flood. In truth, there are seven other islands beyond the horizon, all secretly under the control of Kaycie’s shadowy government, known as the Establishment. They monopolize the islands’ resources and steal their residents’ children, while Kaycian citizens are kept ignorant of injustices that fuel their indulgent lifestyle. After Serenity joins Kaycie’s Leadership program and starts to learn the truth, she decides to become a spy for a rebellion operating within the Establishment. In the process, she meets Bram, a cynical young man who seeks revenge on behalf of his island home and views Serenity as a liability. However, both are aware that even their allies are keeping secrets from them, and the two will have to learn to trust each other if they’re to keep the rebellion afloat. Cammaratta’s novel hits many of the standard beats of the dystopian YA genre, but it does so with cleverness and sincerity. The worldbuilding is mostly succinct but doesn’t feel underdeveloped, and the cast, especially Serenity’s cohort of friends, speak and interact in a realistic, natural way that includes genuine moments of humor. Serenity and Bram both act as narrators, which allows the story to strike an excellent balance between vastly different viewpoints, and their tumultuous relationship develops in sweet, unexpected ways. The overall premise, which seems simple at first, grows in scope as the stakes get higher, and the novel ably interrogates the underpinnings of its setting and the ways in which unjust systems are allowed to operate unhindered. Serenity undergoes realistic, engrossing, and meaningful evolution as she struggles with betrayal, takes dangerous risks, experiences romance, and grows into the best version of herself.
An exciting series starter with engaging concepts and memorable characters.Pub Date: May 21, 2021
ISBN: 979-8-50-794291-6
Page Count: 305
Publisher: Darkstroke
Review Posted Online: July 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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 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
BOOK REVIEW
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