A young heroine copes with bizarre dreams in a surprisingly fresh paranormal romance.
This debut YA novel, the first installment in a series, follows an adopted teenager who moves to Alabama.
Jessica Delaney is accustomed to relocating at a moment’s notice, whenever neighbors find out a family secret. But the most recent move exudes an air of semi-permanence; the clan settles in Credence, Alabama, Jessica’s adoptive mother’s hometown. And her mom has a teaching position, not like the Waffle House waitress job she held in Atlanta. Moreover, Jessica lives next door to her aunt and her two cousins, Pade and Bailey. Both 15, Jessica and Bailey quickly become fast friends, with Bailey encouraging Jessica’s interest in her popular quarterback brother, Pade. Worried that the “ick” cousin factor is a bit strong, despite the fact she’s adopted, Jessica denies her attraction, particularly because it elicits the jealousy of bully Tosh Henley. Jessica also feels an immediate strong kinship with fellow new student Chase Pearson, although she suspects he and his teacher-mother are hiding something, even while he and Bailey become romantic quickly. Jessica’s concern that her father is concealing a recurrence of his cancer adds even more stress to her typical teenage angst, amplified by a typically bad adolescent decision that has life-changing consequences. While she experiences increasingly strange dreams related to her early childhood and adoption, a tragedy threatens her tenuous newfound security in Credence. Heavy-handed foreshadowing at the outset of this novel by engineer and native Alabamian Bolick sets the reader up for a far more ominous back story than Jessica’s forgotten early childhood. But the Delaneys’ decision to flee in the darkness of night seems unwarranted. Indeed, a few red herrings remain unresolved—Jessica’s parents’ insistence that everyone know she’s adopted, for example—whether by design or accident. Also unexplained is why her parents alter Jessica’s physical appearance, in light of their openness concerning her adoption. Despite these unanswered questions and a generally excessive emotional intensity (perhaps well-suited to a YA tale), this book remains an enjoyable page-turner that should leave readers eager to discover whether the promised sequel ties up all the loose ends.
A young heroine copes with bizarre dreams in a surprisingly fresh paranormal romance.Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-946089-01-4
Page Count: 276
Publisher: Dirt Road Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A deeply affecting, valuable story and educational tool.
A debut YA novella about cyberbullying by journalist and short story writer King.
Like many teenagers, Jenna Wilson yearns to be accepted by the popular crowd at her school, Willoughby High in Australia. She naively believes that Renee, a friend from her swim team, can help her get to know Tina Scaruffi, Renee’s uber-popular cousin. When Tina and her comrade, Krissy, inexplicably begin paying attention to Jenna, she’s baffled but flattered; she also immediately starts ignoring her own lifelong friend, Alyssa. All the kids at school seem to suddenly notice Jenna, who revels in no longer feeling invisible. An invitation to a party seems like the ultimate sign of acceptance; at that event, she tries to ease her nervousness by accepting the disgusting drinks that Krissy keep pushing on her. The predictably disastrous results are only made worse when Tina and Krissy take revealing photographs of an intoxicated, half-dressed Jenna and post them all over social media. When Jenna finally has the nerve to return to school, she discovers that everyone thinks of her as “Slag Bitch,” and she longs to return to her previous invisibility. As Tina and Krissy’s bullying continues, Jenna thinks about ending the torture the only way she knows how—by drowning herself. Inspired by the real-life story of the late Canadian teenager Amanda Todd, this story puts a human face on cyberbullying, something many teens may have already learned about in school. The novella also includes supplemental lists of resources, study questions, and curriculum tie-ins for Australians. Without being preachy, the story reinforces the importance of seeking assistance, as Jenna is rescued, in more ways than one, by a favorite teacher. King crafts characters to whom readers can relate by showing not just Jenna’s unimaginable pain, but also Alyssa’s pangs of rejection as well as Jenna’s parents’ indescribable anguish. Although the Australian slang and references may prove difficult for young American readers, the Down Under setting adds an element of cool.
A deeply affecting, valuable story and educational tool.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9945690-1-1
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Aulexic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 4, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This meteorite tale favors—and nails—teen romance but remains a mere inauguration for the mysterious titular character.
Twiddy jump-starts her debut YA sci-fi series with the story of a boy—who can morph into various creatures—wanting to know his origin while keeping his ability a secret.
Gar knows he’s a fish, living in the Mud River in Ada, South Carolina, for the last 15 years. Beyond that, he’s not entirely sure, inexplicably winding up on land one day in the summer of 1987. He easily transforms into a human, picking up whatever language and social cues he can from people near the woods, including teen siblings Nell and Simon, who fish almost daily. After befriending a raccoon, whom Gar names Little, he’s spotted by Nell as he flips through her sketchbook in raccoon form. He flees but has a second run-in with Nell, this time as a teen boy, her suspicions fueled when she recognizes his glowing green eyes. Gar, wanting to know who he is and if there are others like him, hopes for answers from former Ada resident Ben McIntyre. While in Ada, Ben stashed a bizarre, buzzing pea pod and notes on a meteorite from ’72. Strangely, locals didn’t remember the meteorite. Later, a frustrated Ben moved to Michigan and received his geology Ph.D. Gar conducts research at the library, steering clear of odd Mrs. Trumble, who somehow knows him, while finding himself drawn to Nell. The jaunty tale centers primarily on young love in lieu of the sci-fi backdrop. Nell’s definitely wary of Gar—she can tell there’s something unusual about him—but eventually warms up to him, leading to hints of romance and perhaps a bit more. Genuinely humorous moments often involve Gar still figuring out human behavior: evidently it’s not normal for a guest to scoop up handfuls of freshly baked lasagna. The narrative’s pace is steady but slow, offering some scenes, like a school food fight and a group date, with little or no relation to the main plot. The story really picks up in a late final act when Gar tracks down Ben for help. Resolutions, however, ranging from what or who Gar is to the meteorite’s genesis, Twiddy seems to be saving for another book.
This meteorite tale favors—and nails—teen romance but remains a mere inauguration for the mysterious titular character.Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-692-74958-6
Page Count: 360
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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