A ravenous read.
June Blue has a solid plan—make special memories with her friends Imani and Siggy at the highly anticipated ZombieCon! and not think about life after high school.
At least, that is the plan until real zombies take over: Now June and her friends must save the day! The time has finally come for June, Imani, and Siggy to experience the rush of ZombieCon!, the fan convention centered around their favorite show, Human Wasteland—a huge event for their small town to host. June has carefully laid out every detail, from floor plans to an itinerary, in order to capitalize on their most significant adventure yet. She thought her biggest problems would be avoiding former bestie Blair (who stole June’s not-quite-boyfriend) and braving the long lines to meet her favorite actors. But at an all-cast panel, chaos ensues, causing everyone to question the reality of the very concept they’ve gathered to celebrate. Now they must fight their way out of the convention center and save their town with June leading a motley cast of characters, some of whom are not well fleshed out. Parsons (The Falling Between Us, 2018, etc.) successfully maintains a fast, humorous pace with heartfelt moments and palpable enthusiasm for zombies while also inserting social commentary about allyship for people with marginalized identities and the portrayal of women in horror. June and Siggy are white; Imani is black and Korean.
A ravenous read. (Horror. 12-18)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-525-51532-6
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 6, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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