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
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
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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