A resounding success.
This literary DeLorean transports readers into the past, where they hope, dream, and struggle alongside beloved characters from Thomas’ The Hate U Give (2017).
The tale begins in 1998 Garden Heights, when Starr’s parents, Maverick and Lisa, are high school seniors in love and planning for the future. Thomas proves Game of Thrones–esque in her worldbuilding ability, deepening her landscape without sacrificing intimacy or heart. Garden Heights doesn’t contain dragons or sorcerers, but it’s nevertheless a kingdom under siege, and the contemporary pressures its royalty faces are graver for the realness that no magic spell can alleviate. Mav’s a prince whose family prospects are diminished due to his father’s federally mandated absence. He and his best friend, King, are “li’l homies,” lower in status and with everything to prove, especially after Mav becomes a father. In a world where masculinity and violence are inextricably linked to power, the boys’ very identities are tied to the fathers whose names they bear and with whose legacies they must contend. Mav laments, “I ain’t as hard as my pops, ain’t as street as my pops,” but measuring up to that legacy ends in jail or the grave. Worthy prequels make readers invest as though meeting characters for the first time; here they learn more about the intricate hierarchies and alliances within the King Lord gang and gain deeper insight into former ancillary characters, particularly Mav’s parents, King, and Iesha. Characters are Black.
A resounding success. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-284671-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
A cosmically compelling read.
In Petrus’ bewitching debut, Aquarius meets Scorpio and contemplates what comes next.
Audre has found religion in the form of Neri, the pastor’s granddaughter, much to the chagrin of her religious mother. Sent from Trinidad to Minneapolis to live with her father, Audre is afraid of leaving her beloved grandmother, being cut off from her home culture, and starting over in a new country. Meanwhile, fascinated with Whitney Houston and the singer’s supposed romance with a female friend, Mabel is attempting to fit the pieces of her sexuality together. Although she’s been feeling sick, she agrees to entertain her father’s friend’s newly arrived daughter, and Audre and Mabel grow close over the summer. As the school year ramps up, Mabel can no longer ignore her chronic fatigue and pain and must grapple with life-altering news. She finds comfort in reading an old book of her parents’, learning about astrology, and seeking Audre’s healing presence. Audre’s voice is lyrical, and readers will practically hear her Trinidadian accent as she overcomes her fears and self-doubt. Through a nonlinear storyline and two secondary characters, Afua and Queenie, the author beautifully interjects elements of magical realism while delving into the complexities of spirituality. Readers seeking a deep, uplifting love story will not be disappointed as the novel covers both flourishing feelings and bigger questions around belief and what happens when we face our own mortality. Main characters are black.
Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-5255-5548-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
A deliciously dark and mysterious debut.
Eighteen-year-old New Yorker Carina Marshall is working as an au pair for the wealthy, prominent Hall family in Jamaica for a few months until their permanent nanny arrives.
Jamaican American Carina’s days are filled with tending to Jada and Luis, the family’s youngest kids, and spending time with the other staff members at Blackbead House, the Halls’ formal mansion. She also accompanies the Halls to high-profile events—Ian, the patriarch of the family, is running for prime minister. Amid what should be a carefree summer job, Carina harbors a deep secret that no one in the country knows: She’s being plagued by a mysterious entity that seems to want her gone, no matter what it takes. She feels a “dense heat” and notices a “honeyed scent,” both of which are preludes to something going wrong around her. As Carina’s circumstances deteriorate, she faces a decision that could put her new friendships and her job on the line—and reveal everything she hopes to keep hidden. Carina is an enigmatic character who harbors many secrets, which unravel and will intrigue readers as they follow her journey to uncovering what’s happening at Blackbead House. The story’s ominous elements contrast vividly with the beautiful ones, and the portrayal of the luxurious Jamaica the wealthy enjoy stands in stark contrast to that of those who are less fortunate. The deliberate pacing in this book centering on a Black cast helps build the tension.
A deliciously dark and mysterious debut. (Horror. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781638931027
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Sweet July/Zando
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
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