Despite some shortcomings, this ship does more than just sail—it soars
Fandom and creators collide when high schooler Claire attempts to make a popular ship from her favorite TV show a reality.
When superfan Claire asks a panel of the creators behind Demon Heart (a stand-in for Supernatural and other shows notorious for queerbaiting) if the male protagonists, Heart and Smokey, will end up together, she is humiliatingly shut down. Desperate to boost their ratings, the showrunners save face by inviting Claire along on the rest of their convention tour. What follows is a battle of wills as Claire plots to convince the show’s writer to canonize the “SmokeHeart” ship he’s been teasing viewers with, while Forest, one of its stars, undermines her efforts to avoid a reputation that might hurt his career. Along the way, Claire gets close with fellow fan Tess—a black, homoromantic pansexual girl—and begins to question her own sexuality. First-person perspectives switch between Claire and Forest (who is a bit too ideal to be a believable 23-year-old actor) and are interspersed with Claire’s Demon Heart fanfiction. Both characters follow a white default. In her debut, Lundin—herself a television staff writer—effortlessly speaks the language of conventions, fandom, and social media. If some plot points are implausibly convenient, it’s forgivable for the sake of escapist fun. Skillfully interwoven are explorations of media representation and the line between fan and creator.
Despite some shortcomings, this ship does more than just sail—it soars . (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-368-00313-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Freeform/Disney
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
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
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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