An imaginative take on the teen-vampire trope with plenty of action and romance and a compelling antihero.
In Kelly’s novel, a vampire hunts for treasure on a haunted island in a desperate attempt to protect herself from those who want her dead.
Lola Monteux may look 16 years old, but she’s far from it. A vampire on the run from her old comrades, she lands on Duchesne Island in search of the Well of Souls treasure—rumored to grant invincibility to its possessor. In her attempt to locate the treasure, Lola meets Gael Smith, a teenage boy whose family is struggling to make ends meet amid his younger brother’s cancer diagnosis. His ancestor originally discovered the famed Duchesne Island treasure, but Lola soon convinces Gael that more riches must be buried deeper beneath the “treasure tree” on his property. The two embark on a secretive dig, despite the prying eyes of the suspicious Captain Greyson. Complications soon arise, both with the arrival of Lola’s vampire frenemies and their entering into an uneasy (and temporary) truce and by Lola’s growing romantic feelings for Gael. As her old humanity starts to present cracks in her soulless-vampire facade, Lola will be forced to make a choice between what she is and who she wants to be. Kelly manages to imbue Lola with the lofty air of an old vampire and the surliness of a teenager in equal measure—an unlikely combination that will surely endear her to readers. In a YA paranormal/supernatural genre that can be overcrowded, Kelly includes enough unique details—such as Lola’s surprising skin care routine—to differentiate this book from the vampire-novel rabble: “She’d mainly brought skin products: rich creams and serums designed to keep this body youthful. It was essential to keep up proper skincare when your skin was always on the verge of rotting off…Her regime of creams helped smooth her skin, but nothing healed like human blood.” The romance subplot will come as a surprise to absolutely no one but should satisfy YA audiences nonetheless.
An imaginative take on the teen-vampire trope with plenty of action and romance and a compelling antihero.Pub Date: Dec. 25, 2023
ISBN: 978-1738863365
Page Count: 282
Publisher: ISBN CANADA
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship.
A battered girl and an injured rugby star spark up an ill-advised romance at an Irish secondary school.
Beautiful, waiflike, 15-year-old Shannon has lived her entire life in Ballylaggin. Alternately bullied at school and beaten by her ne’er-do-well father, she’s hopeful for a fresh start at Tommen, a private school. Seventeen-year-old Johnny, who has a hair-trigger temper and a severe groin injury, is used to Dublin’s elite-level rugby but, since his family’s move to County Cork, is now stuck captaining Tommen’s middling team. When Johnny angrily kicks a ball and knocks Shannon unconscious (“a soft female groan came from her lips”), a tentative relationship is born. As the two grow closer, Johnny’s past and Shannon’s present become serious obstacles to their budding love, threatening Shannon’s safety. Shannon’s portrayal feels infantilized (“I looked down at the tiny little female under my arm”), while Johnny comes across as borderline obsessive (“I knew I shouldn’t be touching her, but how the hell could I not?”). Uneven pacing and choppy sentences lead to a sudden climax and an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending. Repetitive descriptions, abundant and misogynistic dialogue (Johnny, to his best friend: “who’s the bitch with a vagina now?”), and graphic violence also weigh down this lengthy tome (considerably trimmed down from its original, self-published length). The cast of lively, well-developed supporting characters, especially Johnny’s best friend and Shannon’s protective older brother, is a bright spot. Major characters read white.
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship. (author’s note, pronunciations, glossary, song moments, playlists) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781728299945
Page Count: 626
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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