Coming-of-age meets cosmic horror; unforgettably striking, both visually and emotionally.
An inquisitive girl encounters strange and monstrous phenomena while exploring a decaying shopping center.
When Hailey, an Australian tween, is dropped off by her mum at a low-budget holiday childcare program in a shuttered mall, she isn’t enthused. Plucky and adaptable (and one of the oldest kids in attendance), she easily evades adult supervision and meets Jen, an enigmatic teen who promises to show her more interesting things amid the urban decay. Eager to prove herself to someone older, Hailey follows Jen deeper into the expansive, crumbling complex. Meanwhile, the other children make a disturbing discovery: The building is infested with grotesque organisms that defy scientific explanation. Soon it becomes clear that something otherworldly is due to awaken, and Hailey and Jen lean on their tentative new friendship as they face the impending calamity. Gooch’s distinctive cinematic style of visual storytelling is both sweeping enough to convey the incomprehensible scale of the skin-crawling horrors the characters face and also intimate enough to deliver poignant moments with impact. Color is inventively used as a storytelling device—shades of muted blues and reds alternate across and within layouts to denote shifts in perspective and create palpable tension. Hailey and Jen have light complexions with black hair and read Asian; there is racial diversity among the supporting and background characters.
Coming-of-age meets cosmic horror; unforgettably striking, both visually and emotionally. (Graphic horror. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 23, 2024
ISBN: 9781603095341
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
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
A powerful duology closer that explores gender, power, and community in a unique world infused with Aztec mythology.
This thrilling sequel to The Sunbearer Trials (2022) follows Teo and Xio, two semidioses (or demigods) and former friends, as they fight on opposite sides during a war and an apocalypse.
Following the theft of the Sol Stone by the formerly exiled and now unleashed Obsidian gods and their monstrous Celestials, the inhabitants of Reino del Sol are plunged into a dark and uncertain future. Flanked by his best friend and crush, Teo embarks on an odyssey to resurrect Sol and save the world, while Xio wrestles with their role in the Obsidians’ revenge. Teo learns that the power structures and histories he learned from the ruling dioses (including his mother, Quetzal) may hide injustices and inequities that he doesn’t want to restore. Meanwhile, Xio begins to question whether the quest for justice for which they were conscripted to fight might instead be a subterfuge that’s intended to enact an oppressive new world. While action-packed with both battles and romance, the story also deftly delves into themes of systemic violence, generational trauma, and abuse of power. Teo and Xio are complex characters who offer strong representation of and for trans and nonbinary teens, respectively. The central messages of self-discovery, social justice, and building communities of care in a hostile world will resonate with readers who are facing challenges themselves.
A powerful duology closer that explores gender, power, and community in a unique world infused with Aztec mythology. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781250822086
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
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