The stars don’t quite align for this one.
Astrology and magic combine in this otherworldly fantasy.
At a concert, best friends Claudia and Rora meet Amir and Major, two boys who are searching for a song that will rectify disharmony in the universe. Despite some skepticism, Claudia and Rora are inclined to believe them: Recently there’s been troubling natural phenomena worldwide, Claudia’s misbehaving twin brother was shipped off to live with their physicist grandmother in Italy, and Rora was mugged and now suffers from debilitating anxiety. Major and Amir say they come from Mercury and Mars—although they are human, not alien—and they believe Rora is an amplifier, someone who can increase the power of music. She can help them, and they can help her as well. Alternating chapters feature the girls’ first-person perspectives as they travel through portals from Washington, D.C., to different planets, searching for a solution to the imbalance. Though most characters are entertaining enough, short yet tedious chapters set in the 13th century and following Dante Alighieri, Beatrice Portinari, and Marco Polo, who discover the portals and establish settlements on various planets, are interspersed and drag the story down. The story’s magical elements fizzle, and as the planets’ settlements are barely distinguishable from Earth in technology and culture, the worldbuilding never quite comes together. Claudia, Rora, and Major are White; Muslim Amir is cued as being of Middle Eastern descent.
The stars don’t quite align for this one. (author's note, resources) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 28, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-308352-3
Page Count: 464
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
For fans, a finale that satisfies.
Picking up just after the end of Legendary (2018), Garber continues to build the world of Caraval with a final installment, this time focusing equally on both Dragna sisters’ perspectives.
After they released their long-missing mother from the Deck of Destiny, Scarlett and Donatella hoped to rebuild their relationship and gain a new sense of family. However, Legend also released the rest of the Fates, and, much to their dismay, the Fallen Star—essentially the ur-Fate—is only gaining in power. As the Fates begin to throw Valenda into chaos and disarray, the sisters must decide whom him to trust, whom to love, and how to set themselves free. Scar’s and Tella’s passionate will-they-or-won’t-they relationships with love interests are still (at times, inexplicably) compelling, taking up a good half of the plot and balancing out the large-scale power games with more domestic ones. Much like the previous two, this third book in the series is overwritten, with overly convenient worldbuilding that struggles nearly as much as the overwrought prose and convoluted plot. While those who aren’t Garber’s fans are unlikely to pick up this volume, new (or forgetful) readers will find the text repetitious enough to be able to follow along.
For fans, a finale that satisfies. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-15766-9
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A great read offering entertainment, encouragement, and plenty to reflect upon.
A gay teen contends with time travel—and homophobia through the decades.
All Cuban American Luis wants is to be prom king with his boyfriend, but tiny upstate New York boarding school Antic Springs Academy, with its strict, Christian code of conduct, won’t even let them hold hands in public. After a disastrous prom committee meeting at which his attempt to make the event welcoming of queer couples is rejected by the principal, Luis gets quite literally knocked into the past—specifically, ASA in the year 1985. There he meets Chaz, a Black student who attended the school at the same time as Luis’ parents and who died under mysterious circumstances after being bullied for his sexuality. Luis now faces a choice between changing the past to help Chaz and preserving his own future existence. Fortunately, he has Ms. Silverthorn, a Black English teacher and beloved mentor, who offers him support in both timelines. The narrative explores the impacts of homophobia and being closeted, remaining optimistic without shying away from the more brutal aspects. Luis is a multifaceted character with an engaging voice whose flaws are confronted and examined throughout. The solid pacing and pleasant, fluid prose make this a page-turner. Luis’ boyfriend is cued as Chinese American, and his best friend is nonbinary; there is some diversity in ethnicity and sexuality in background characters, although the school is predominantly White.
A great read offering entertainment, encouragement, and plenty to reflect upon. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0710-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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