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
Strong writing, organic construction, and fully realized—a rousing debut.
A teenage boy and his younger sister take to the seas to escape the end of the world in Haight’s (Tempest, 2015, etc.) novel.
Considering his problems with alcohol, his brittle relationship with his mom and stepfather, and his almost nonexistent relationship with his ex-con dad, Jim Westfield is having a tough adolescence. He tries moving in with his father on an experimental colony more than 100 miles off the West Coast, hoping that the distance from temptation and the hard work required for colony life will straighten him up. Initially, Jim is less than thrilled with his new life and his thorny relationship with his father, but as he adjusts, things start to improve. Jim, however, discovers his father is involved in a number of shady enterprises just as a series of coordinated attacks upends his life. With his little sister in tow, the teenager faces multiple decisions and consequences that could prove dangerous if not fatal. Haight’s writing is raw and emotional, capturing typical teenage sarcasm and hopeful naïveté, and his worldbuilding is potent. The ragged nature of the colony, a floating island built from docks and tethered ships, registers strongly on every page, animating Jim’s life with the assorted oddballs, criminals, and misfits. Although many of Haight’s characters are of limited emotional depth—some, like Jim’s stepdad, Marty, barely register as more than a character trait or two—this can arguably be seen as reflective of Jim’s emotional depth, which broadens and changes as the story charges forward. The novel, the first in a series, ends in such a way that the narrative can move forward organically, yet doesn’t have to. As a result, the denouement and overall plotting feel like a natural progression to the story rather than a contrived cliffhanger.
Strong writing, organic construction, and fully realized—a rousing debut.Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9893223-6-2
Page Count: 422
Publisher: Northern & 71st
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Judian is on the verge of adulthood when his smitten brother Wils marries Annora, a beautiful woman who has a mystical knack...
A boy becomes embroiled in politics and magic when his country is conquered in this fantastical tale of war and survival, reminiscent of the works of Raymond Feist.
Judian is on the verge of adulthood when his smitten brother Wils marries Annora, a beautiful woman who has a mystical knack with animals. But instead of the couple settling into their new lives, Wils must accompany his father to where soldiers are gathering to fend off an invasion. Da entrusts Judian with a mission: if he and Wils don’t return quickly, Judian must take Annora and his young sister Morie up to the caves in the mountains near their home, where they will be safe. Judian embarks on his quest of survival with all the good sense of a farm boy used to managing resources, but he’s surprised to find himself gaining animal allies. First crediting the appearance of a huge black dog they call Weiser and a trio of helpful crows to Annora, Judian soon discovers it’s his own magic that called them. When Judian and his companions realize that the northwest passage through their mountains, which should be sealed with snow, has been held open by foreign sorcerers to allow troops to invade, they know they have to find a way to get the news to Da and Wils. Judian, an appealing narrator, brooks little nonsense—though some of what he considers ludicrous is a mark of his immaturity. He shows at times overconfidence, but the subtle arrogance of his narration is countered by his admissions of wishing his father would return and fix everything. By far the best developed of the characters, Judian is surrounded by strong women he doesn’t always understand but whom he respects, especially as teachers of magic. This debut YA novel’s fantasy world and magic system, filtered through a capable child’s eyes, are well-designed, with enough clues into the adult power structure to give the impression of complexity beyond what is described.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-9909681-0-8
Page Count: 322
Publisher: Moon Road Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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