An action-packed, if somewhat underdeveloped, superhero tale with a memorable protagonist and archnemesis.
Horne’s fusion of superhero fantasy and YA SF follows a teenage vigilante with autism whose mission is to protect the inhabitants of his city from harm.
Advent 9 is the last of the “Powered” people in Hearth City doing the “hero thing,” as all the others have either retired or quietly disappeared. The teenage boy has impressive powers (including the ability to fly, incredible agility, and superstrength), but he isn’t a stereotypical superhero; he doesn’t know where he came from, instinctively seeks solitude, can’t seem to look people in the eyes, and is tormented by seemingly imaginary creatures he calls Hummingbirds, which follow him wherever he goes. He also has no fixed address and sleeps on rooftops in the city. Advent 9’s life is turned upside down when he clashes once again with Dr. Felix Antiworld, an infamous supervillain. Antiworld and Advent 9 have been battling for ages, but this time is different, as the villain has used a machine that can traverse the multiverse to find Trancedragon, who looks like Advent 9 and has all his powers. However, instead of an innate drive to help people, Trancedragon wants to destroy everyone and everything he sees. Antiworld’s plan is to have Advent 9 and Trancedragon kill each other, but it doesn’t quite go as expected, and soon, the villain is forced to team up with Advent 9 to save the world from annihilation. Trapped in the city’s catacombs, the two must work together in order to survive—and, in the process, they begin to understand each other on a much deeper level.
Two major strengths of this novel are its portrayal of Advent 9 and its exploration of his autism. Over the course of the story, Horne excels at cultivating the complex, tumultuous relationship between Advent 9 and Antiworld, and many readers will find a sequence at the end of the novel to be particularly affecting. The novel’s comic-book–style tenor is also noteworthy, as it’s audacious, fantastical, and, at times, hyperbolic: “He was immense. The towering shoulders, the square jaw, the enormous fists were barely visible—a black outline on a field of darkness. His cape was an endless conduit to the clouds, twisting like a whirlwind of black flames. The height, the calm, the overwhelming presence of this titan was more than he could’ve imagined.” Additionally, the humor is spot-on and beautifully complements the overall tone: “Welcome to my secret lair,” says Antiworld at one point, “the place where I hatch my evil plots, and sometimes make popcorn while I watch Jeopardy!”The flies in the ointment, though, are the lack of backstory and inconsistent world building. The past is barely referenced, and the realm of Hearth City, while full of intriguing neighborhoods and inhabitants—such as the Morgans, a group of piratic criminals who are much more than they seem—is left largely unexplored. Readers will be left wanting to know much more of this city and its history.
An action-packed, if somewhat underdeveloped, superhero tale with a memorable protagonist and archnemesis.Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2022
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 452
Publisher: Tristellation Media, LLC
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2022
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
Somberly beautiful.
A girl goes in search of her missing sister and discovers a strange hidden world of dreams.
Corin, who’s 18 and dark-skinned, strives to protect her 12-year-old sister, Elly. But life as a thief is full of struggle, poverty, and loss, even without Corin’s avoidance of other relationships. Elly clings to the promise of fairy tales, like the one that says a princess lies sleeping in an underground castle after pricking her finger on a spindle. After the sisters fight and Elly runs off, Corin searches for her in Gyldan’s old network of tunnels—and finds the tale is true: Cursed Princess Amelia, golden-haired, with eyes like “sea glass” and porcelain skin, lies asleep, surrounded by flowers. Corin enters the princess’ dreamworld—the place “where your subconscious desires come to life.” She meets Briar Rose, Amelia’s alter ego, who experienced her share of sadness and wanted to fall asleep. Also in the dreamworld is green-skinned Malicine, the nonbinary demon who, despite having placed the curse of eternal slumber on Amelia, is mostly friendly. All three are running from things they can’t face, though the dreamworld may not give them a choice. Pham’s debut, a Sapphic reimagining of “Sleeping Beauty,” explores mental health and asks a lot of readers as it seesaws between emotional confrontations, time jumps, and scenes where one character inhabits the memories of another, all of which demand intense engagement. Still, the ending is earned as well as positive.
Somberly beautiful. (content note) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2026
ISBN: 9798217113026
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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