Weak, formulaic romantic and supernatural plots are offset by rich, setting-driven subplots.
Following Ink (2013), Katie and Tomohiro, a Kami (descendant of a Japanese god), cope with the danger he poses to her.
Katie and Tomo’s hopes that they can finally be together are dashed when the ink he holds mastery over dramatically malfunctions. Tomo’s powerful, moving, living sketches are dangerous (especially for Katie), so for the sake of their relationship and her safety, they struggle to learn how to control them. Katie researches both Tomo’s struggles and her own connection to the ink by secretly meeting former adversary Jun; Tomo disapproves of their friendship and cannot know. The plot delivers Katie’s answers easily, deploying just a few twists at the end. More interestingly, since Jun and Ishikawa ended up in the hospital at the end of Ink, police suspect the two kendo adepts have fallen afoul of a Yakuza gambling plot and so have their eye on fellow kendouka Tomo; the heroes must keep the true supernatural explanations secret. The least magical plot is perhaps the strongest—Katie’s determined to learn kanji in order to avoid transfer to an English-speaking school, all the while coping with her outsider status. The lovingly drawn depiction of Japan will make readers want to visit. The conclusion, rushed compared to the otherwise leisurely pacing, sets up the sequel.
Weak, formulaic romantic and supernatural plots are offset by rich, setting-driven subplots. (Japanese glossary, acknowledgments) (Paranormal romance. 12-17)Pub Date: June 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-373-21111-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
A smart, timely outing.
Two teens connect through a mysterious podcast in this sophomore effort by British author Oseman (Solitaire, 2015).
Frances Janvier is a 17-year-old British-Ethiopian head girl who is so driven to get into Cambridge that she mostly forgoes friendships for schoolwork. Her only self-indulgence is listening to and creating fan art for the podcast Universe City, “a…show about a suit-wearing student detective looking for a way to escape a sci-fi, monster-infested university.” Aled Last is a quiet white boy who identifies as “partly asexual.” When Frances discovers that Aled is the secret creator of Universe City, the two embark on a passionate, platonic relationship based on their joint love of pop culture. Their bond is complicated by Aled’s controlling mother and by Frances’ previous crush on Aled’s twin sister, Carys, who ran away last year and disappeared. When Aled’s identity is accidently leaked to the Universe City fandom, he severs his relationship with Frances, leaving her questioning her Cambridge goals and determined to win back his affection, no matter what the cost. Frances’ narration is keenly intelligent; she takes mordant pleasure in using an Indian friend’s ID to get into a club despite the fact they look nothing alike: “Gotta love white people.” Though the social-media–suffused plot occasionally lags, the main characters’ realistic relationship accurately depicts current issues of gender, race, and class.
A smart, timely outing. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-233571-5
Page Count: 496
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes
A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
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