Tedious.
The post-apocalyptic romance that began with Defiance (2012) reaches its conclusion as Rachel and Logan separately work to bring down the men who have robbed them of their families and community.
In the sanctuary of Lankenshire, Logan plots to trick the Commander into helping him raise an army to lay siege to Rowansmark and save Rachel. Meanwhile, the captive Rachel plots against Logan’s long-lost brother as he takes her across the Wasteland to Rowansmark. At the center of their travails is the “tech” that controls the subterranean, dragonlike creatures that destroyed America just a few decades before. If Logan can adapt his device, he can use it to bring the Commander down; if Rachel can disable Rowansmark’s, she can render the city vulnerable to Logan and his forces. All of this is punctuated by much violence (multiple dismemberments, a protracted flogging and more exploding bodies than any book ought to contain, among other examples) and extravagant navel-gazing by the protagonists. As Rachel and Logan tell the tale in alternating, nearly identical, present-tense narrations, each returns over and over to their respective journeys through grief to festering revenge. Plotting is heavily contrived; prose is plodding. One bright spot is a new secondary character, the bookish Connor, who accompanies Logan; unfortunately, his sexual naïveté triggers an embarrassingly retrograde exchange about what girls want.
Tedious. (Post-apocalyptic romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-06-211723-6
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A powerful tale of found family and first love.
After a year away, Ellis returns home to confront her past.
Graduating from high school far from everything familiar was not part of Ellis Truman’s original plans, but she nevertheless ended up spending her senior year with her aunt in California. In Indiana, Ellis practically grew up with the Albrey family and their three tightknit sons, Dixon, Tucker, and Easton. Now, Tucker wants her to return home for matriarch Sandry Albrey’s 50th birthday celebration on the Fourth of July—but Ellis is dreading seeing Easton, as they haven’t talked since she left. Chapters alternate between past and present, and much of the story unravels slowly: How did she come to live with the Albreys? What caused Ellis to then end up in San Diego? What happened in her relationship with Easton? Patient readers will find the heartfelt tension pays off. With her father in and out of jail and an absent mother, socio-economic differences separating Ellis from the middle-class Albreys don’t go unnoticed, and Ellis’ down-to-earth journey shows how she unpacks her feelings about her relationship with her parents. The slow-build romance is swoonworthy, and young adult fans of Colleen Hoover seeking emotional devastation and unforgettable characters will find much to enjoy here. Characters read as White.
A powerful tale of found family and first love. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 10, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-308853-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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