A spellbinding sequel.
Indigenous people continue to fight for survival in the face of environmental devastation and a predatory government.
This follow-up to 2017’s acclaimed The Marrow Thieves picks up in the middle of the action: Miig’s joyful reunion with his husband, Isaac, is followed by Frenchie’s tragic capture by the Recruiters. Seventeen-year-old Frenchie has been taken to a residential school, a macabre institution where Native people’s bone marrow is harvested to treat the dreamless non-Indian population. Frenchie tries to avoid complete mental and physical breakdown—and must decide what price is too high to pay to achieve freedom. Rose, 16, is unwilling to wait around for further intelligence from inside sources; desperately and impulsively, she sets out to rescue Frenchie—accompanied by Derrick, who still hopes she’ll choose him instead. Meanwhile, the family receives disturbing intelligence that threatens the baby Wab and Chi Boy are expecting, leading to a decision to separate, with one group heading south toward the States. This lush, devastating, and hope-filled novel, which unfolds in chapters that shift perspectives among major cast members, provides some recap of earlier events but will be better appreciated by those who have read the first one. The action never lets up and is inextricably intertwined with the personal and community histories of the diverse characters who band together from various nations. Dimaline (Métis) paints a nightmarish world that is too easy to imagine; it will haunt readers long after they turn the final page.
A spellbinding sequel. (author’s note) (Dystopian. 14-adult)Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-5347-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
An ode to continuing to fight in dark times that struggles with uneven pacing.
Will-they, won’t-they couple Khalani and Takeshi return in this second series entry, having broken out of Braderhelm Prison in order to save humanity’s future.
To do so, they and the friends who escaped with them will have to travel across the Death-Zone, a post-apocalyptic desert in the Southwest of the “old United States,” to the underground city of Hermes, encountering new enemies along the way. The plot meanders along with the wanderers’ journey, save for some steamy carnal scenes between the leads, until they and their crew are abducted by the Desert Spring, a fringe religious society whose members live in a walled compound. Cornered, the gang agrees to the demand of the Desert Spring’s leaders, who want information from Hermes that will help them beat their enemies, the Sinners. Following the first, drawn-out part of the story, the rest of the novel feels overly stuffed with information and plot points, introducing new civilizations, communities, rebels, gadgets, and evils at such a rapid clip that readers scarcely have time to catch their breath before a harsh, abrupt ending that sets up the trilogy closer. Fans here for the sexually charged romance will be satisfied by electric erotic scenes, and the emotional growth of the two leads will keep some readers engaged with a book that otherwise feels clunky. The first entry described Khalani and Takeshi as “Hispanic” and “East Asian,” respectively.
An ode to continuing to fight in dark times that struggles with uneven pacing. (Dystopian. 16-adult)Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781464278129
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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