Strictly for dedicated category-romance fans.
This ill-begotten series conclusion offers ample proof (evidently some is needed) that genocide and category romance don’t mix.
Imprisoned by Calliope (Hera), Cronus’ partner in pantheonic crime, pregnant Kate gives birth while Cronus looks on lustfully. Calliope, besotted with Kate’s husband, Henry (Hades), is intent on eliminating their newborn son, Milo, so Kate offers herself to Cronus in exchange for his protection. (Olympian incest—Cronus is Kate’s grandfather and Henry, her uncle—is unsettlingly clear but not discussed.) When Kate’s rescued and forced to leave Milo behind, the bargain collapses. Cronus expresses his disappointment by eliminating Athens. Millions die. (Vague descriptions of the collateral damage mainly serve to show Kate’s compassion.) Soon Cronus will be free to pursue his long-term goal: wiping out humanity and his Olympian children. Walter (Zeus) convenes the council, who lament how dire things are, while Kate demonstrates spunk and her commitment to Henry, repeatedly in need of rescuing, by taking action. In numbing detail, the immortals obsess over one another’s passions. The humorless navel-gazing and endless meetings in Olympus’ floating boardroom grow drearily claustrophobic (maladroit writing doesn’t help). Comfortably distant from the mayhem below, endowed with eternal youth, beauty and superhero powers, these immortals lack a vital attribute: the human interest that makes readers care.
Strictly for dedicated category-romance fans. (Fantasy. 12 & up)Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-373-21067-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2013
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
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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