Powerful young women who have hope and agency to change the world: What could be more timely? (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)
The nature of power, the strength of family: Gaughen (Reign the Earth, 2018, etc.) weaves big concepts into the action-filled story.
Here, the action moves across the sea to powerful air Elementa Aspasia, picking up shortly after the first volume’s conclusion. Captain, freedom fighter, slaver, and slave, Asp crews a motley collection of children and teens, all formerly enslaved, many with powers, who come from all the races and nations of Asp’s world (characters have a range of skin tones; race is not analogous to our world). Heavy topics are explored, some overtly—the psychic toll of having been enslaved, the complex dynamics of power—and some implicitly; sexual abuse of enslaved girls is subtly hinted at. The plot veers between the personal, as Aspasia searches for the siblings she lost seven years ago and falls in love with new crew member Kairos (the brother of the Tri Queen leading the resistance), and the political, as Asp and her crew work to harry slavers and find themselves instrumental in the growing war. While the balance is sometimes uneasy—there’s a lot of kissing and also a fair amount of bloodshed—the pacing keeps things moving. The final battle, when characters from both volumes come together, sets the scene for the explosive conflict to come. Gritty and dark despite tender moments.
Powerful young women who have hope and agency to change the world: What could be more timely? (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68119-114-0
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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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