Rider (Kiss Me in New York, 2017) does it again—another quick and merry read for rom-com lovers.
Two bickering young people roam the City of Love together.
Serena Fuentes, a Latinx Columbia student, did not come to Paris to find love. But the family becomes a solo expedition after her mother has to attend a conference in London and her older sister, Lara, working as an au pair in Paris, ditches her to go to Madrid with her new boyfriend. Serena had everything mapped out—she and her sister were going to visit and photograph all the places their parents went during their honeymoon to create a scrapbook of memories for their 25th anniversary. Instead she ends up touring the city with Jean-Luc, a half-French, half-American friend of Lara’s boyfriend and a currently uninspired photography student. Believing that this loud American girl is his best shot at saving his school project, Jean-Luc follows Serena around, trying to convince her to abandon her itinerary and see his idea of a more authentic Paris—much to her annoyance. There is an undeniable sweetness to this story’s predictability and unoriginality. Serena and Jean-Luc are verbally sparring one minute, then bonding over familial challenges the next. Comedic hijinks are balanced with moments of emotional struggle and realization, keeping this story lighthearted and assuring readers that their perfect match might be found in unexpected places.
Rider (Kiss Me in New York, 2017) does it again—another quick and merry read for rom-com lovers. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77138-867-2
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart.
After praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic.
When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love—and his potentially lethal kisses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity; readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White; there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart. (map) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26839-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.
Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.
Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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