For readers wanting a multicultural version of a familiar romantic storyline.
An American girl falls in love with a being from Japanese mythology.
Orphaned Katie Greene’s custodial grandfather is battling cancer, so she’s sent to live with her aunt, Diane, in Japan. At school there, Katie witnesses the handsome kendo star, Yuu Tomohiro, coldly dumping his girlfriend—and more importantly, Katie glimpses a drawing he did moving by itself. Tomohiro’s a familiar romantic hero, broody and mysterious while hiding a good heart under a rough exterior, as does his best friend, who immediately dislikes Katie and who has connections to the Yakuza, or Japanese organized crime. The boys’ friendship is surprisingly well-developed, especially considering Katie’s bland relationships. Katie focuses on following Tomohiro and delving into his mysteries—the dark rumors about his past and why his drawings move. She breaks through his tough exterior and learns he’s a Kami, a Shinto god, and that he has trouble controlling his drawings, which not only come to life on the paper, but can leap off of it as well. He has even more trouble when Katie is near, causing danger for them both from multiple sources. The text is peppered with Japanese words and phrases (defined in a glossary), the effective setting echoing Katie’s immersion into Japanese culture. Interior spotlight art illustrates Tomohiro’s drawings and features a couple of small flip animations. The ending leaves many mysteries unanswered, predictably setting up a sequel.
For readers wanting a multicultural version of a familiar romantic storyline. (Paranormal romance. 12-17)Pub Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-373-21071-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.
Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.
Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A meditation on a timely subject that never forgets to put its characters and their stories first
An Afghani-Australian teen named Mina earns a scholarship to a prestigious private school and meets Michael, whose family opposes allowing Muslim refugees and immigrants into the country.
Dual points of view are presented in this moving and intelligent contemporary novel set in Australia. Eleventh-grader Mina is smart and self-possessed—her mother and stepfather (her biological father was murdered in Afghanistan) have moved their business and home across Sydney in order for her to attend Victoria College. She’s determined to excel there, even though being surrounded by such privilege is a culture shock for her. When she meets white Michael, the two are drawn to each other even though his close-knit, activist family espouses a political viewpoint that, though they insist it is merely pragmatic, is unquestionably Islamophobic. Tackling hard topics head-on, Abdel-Fattah explores them fully and with nuance. True-to-life dialogue and realistic teen social dynamics both deepen the tension and provide levity. While Mina and Michael’s attraction seems at first unlikely, the pair’s warmth wins out, and readers will be swept up in their love story and will come away with a clearer understanding of how bias permeates the lives of those targeted by it.
A meditation on a timely subject that never forgets to put its characters and their stories first . (Fiction. 12-17)Pub Date: May 9, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-11866-7
Page Count: 402
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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