Suspenseful.
This second book in the Eve series finds Eve trapped in the tyrannical City of Sand in this near-future dystopia.
Sometime in the mid-21st century, the world tries to recover from a plague that wiped out most humans. The former governor of California has established a repressive monarchy that controls the lives of the population under his jurisdiction, while most cities, including San Francisco, are abandoned. Eve, running from The New America, became separated from her boyfriend, Caleb, in the previous installment. This time she’s captured by New America soldiers and taken to the former Las Vegas, now ruled by the King, who’s rebuilding the city with slave labor. There, Eve learns that she has a whole new privileged identity with the royal family. When Caleb contacts her, however, she sneaks out to meet him and becomes involved with the dissidents who intend to foment a rebellion. All does not go well, and Eve finds herself in a situation wherein she must make a desperate bargain with the deceitful King. Carey delivers a believably devastated world, sparsely populated by savvy survivors, and keeps pages flipping throughout most of the story, although the romance is standard stuff. If the book’s crisis is a bit predictable, the sudden, menacing ending ought to propel readers to the next book in the series.
Suspenseful. (Dystopian romance. 12 & up)Pub Date: July 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-204854-7
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 8, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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