A powerful, nuanced, and necessary read.
A feminist teen struggles with the personal impact of sexual assault.
Bisexual high school junior Mara has always had a close bond with her twin brother, Owen. After a traumatic experience caused her to withdraw from friends and family as a coping mechanism, Owen was the only one able to draw her out of her shell. When Owen’s girlfriend, Hannah—one of Mara’s best friends—accuses Owen of rape, however, Mara’s world is turned upside down as the brother she thought she knew begins to trigger the very PTSD she’s been trying to hide. As the founder of her school’s feminist club, Mara has never wavered in her conviction to always believe survivors. But as many of her classmates and family, including her fiercely feminist mother, publicly side with Owen, the school’s feminist club rallies around Hannah, and Mara feels forced to choose—between her friend, her family, and coming to terms with her own past. Mara’s bisexuality is never stereotypical, and her ex Charlie’s experience as a closeted nonbinary teen still using feminine pronouns provides excellent and much-needed representation. Blake (Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World, 2017, etc.) rightly makes it clear that this book is not focused on Owen or his intentions; his impact and Mara’s processing take center stage. Owen's best friend is Korean; other major characters are white. Resources for survivors are provided.
A powerful, nuanced, and necessary read. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-328-77823-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PROFILES
A promising flame that doesn't quite ignite.
As war with the Golden Empire looms on the horizon for the outlawed faction of Phoenix Riders, a more devastating threat awakens from the shadows in this final installment in the Crown of Feathers trilogy.
Long-lost heir to the empire’s throne, Veronyka Ashfire flies toward a future with heavy expectations of rulership on her shoulders. With her bondmate, Tristan, held hostage by a warmongering politician, Veronyka and the Phoenix Riders plot to rescue him and eliminate their enemies on the empire’s council to stop the war before it begins. However, in the smoldering darkness of ancient ruins, resurrected queen Avalkyra Ashfire hatches a strix, a bird of hunger and shadow, thus granting herself the power to destroy anyone who stands in her way. Mounting stakes, chapter-ending cliffhangers, and tightly integrated worldbuilding accelerate the narrative’s pace. Unfortunately, despite these strengths, the conflation of sex and gender carries over from the earlier books with repeated use of female to describe both people and phoenixes. Jealousy and possessiveness uncomfortably are portrayed as positive signs of affection in a romantic relationship. The vilification of those seeking independence and the positioning of Veronyka as a peaceful, self-sacrificial savior combine with the resolution to send a message that may read as pro-imperialistic. The cast of characters have pale to brown skin tones, and one of the primary perspective characters, a White animage girl, is blind.
A promising flame that doesn't quite ignite. (map, timeline, glossary) (Fantasy. 14-17)Pub Date: July 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6602-9
Page Count: 624
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A patchy but occasionally powerful mix of family drama, late-’60s culture clashes, and wilderness adventure.
His big brother’s return from Vietnam with wounds both physical and psychological shakes up a 16-year-old Alaskan’s familiar world of girls, guns, and clueless grown-ups.
Three years after his father’s death and the move to Anchorage recounted in Secondhand Summer (2016), Sam Barger is left at home with just his fretful mom—until, that is, his strong, admired brother, Joe, comes back from the war with crutches, nightmares, flashbacks, and a heavy drinking habit. Almost as upsetting as the changes he sees in his brother, the flak Sam is already catching for his long hair and for joining a peace march (partly from conviction, partly in pursuit of Iris, an activist schoolmate willing to share the occasional snog and joint) intensifies as news of Joe’s return gets around. When Sam takes off on his own for the family’s old cabin in Ninilchik, Joe follows, setting up a hunting expedition and an accident that tests Sam’s heart as well as his abilities to build a fire (using “squaw kindling”), butcher a moose, and complete other outdoorsy tasks. Aside from a classmate who identifies himself as “a half-breed Athabascan,” the cast presents largely White, with the three women given significant roles stereotyped as a hand-wringer (Sam’s mother) and two temptresses. Walker does better with his guys, and perceptive readers will see that the brothers’ underlying ties remain firm beneath their banter.
A patchy but occasionally powerful mix of family drama, late-’60s culture clashes, and wilderness adventure. (Historical fiction. 14-16)Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5132-6269-7
Page Count: 198
Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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