A sincere and emotionally astute story offering reassurance to anyone who feels like they don’t matter.
Seventeen-year-old Jenna Chen gets her heart’s desire when she makes a wish to become her perfect cousin, Jessica.
Jenna and Jessica are Chinese American seniors at the cutthroat Havenwood Academy. But while Jessica’s exemplary academic and athletic performance has earned her admiration from teachers and peers alike, Jenna has always fallen short of expectations, no matter how hard she works. In a moment of despair, Jenna wishes on a shooting star to be Jessica—and is astonished to wake up the next morning in Jessica’s body. At first, being Havenwood’s star pupil is a dream come true for Jenna, whose hunger for outward approval is finally satisfied by the praise that’s being heaped upon her. But Jenna’s bliss fades as she experiences the immense social pressures that forced Jessica to maintain her spotless record. She feels a creeping sense of unease as everyone around her seems to forget her own actual existence, apart from Aaron Cai, her childhood friend and unrequited crush, who recently returned from studying abroad. Liang’s latest examines the costs of pursuing perfection through a vivid portrayal of the mental and emotional toll it takes on Jenna, Jessica, and their peers. Jenna’s artistic eye sometimes manifests in overly ornate prose in her first-person narration, but the vulnerability of her voice will pull readers in.
A sincere and emotionally astute story offering reassurance to anyone who feels like they don’t matter. (Speculative fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781335523129
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
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
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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