An originally wrought but flawed exploration of esports.
Competitive gamers seek glory at the regional championship.
Lissa Walker loves the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game Ancestral in which she and fellow players on Team Phoenix work together in fantasy combat. Her teammates include best friend Ji-Soo, serious Jae-Jin, and newcomer Ray. At the community PlaySpace, run by their mentor, Devon, the gang works on their battle strategies, both in-game and interpersonally. As the regional championship approaches, they face Team Mastermind, a group of alcoholic energy drink–fueled frat boys who employ unscrupulous methods for achieving victory. Bennett’s debut novel is an intriguing look at the culture around esports. Lissa and her friends are older teens and 20-somethings, yet the messaging regarding the importance of teamwork feels reductive and overly insistent; older readers may find this aspect of the book overly saccharine. The diverse group of characters—Ray and Lissa, who are queer, read White by default, Jae-Jin and Ji-Soo are Korean American, and Devon is Black—are sympathetic but tend toward caricature, making for a superficial feel. Gentle romances twine throughout, juxtaposed against the bloody battle scenes. The digital world of Ancestral is fascinatingly rendered, coming across as both novel and recognizable to gamers. The happy ending feels a bit rushed and contrived, but readers will ultimately cheer for this not-quite-underdog team.
An originally wrought but flawed exploration of esports. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-78108-928-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Solaris
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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