Sparkles like a diamond at first but does not fulfill its initial promise.
When a teen goes in search of a killer, she discovers that nothing is what it seems.
For as long as 18-year-old Nyla Wagner can recall, she’s had to share her mother’s attention with Frankie, a death row felon and her mother’s closest friend. She knows the story: Two decades ago, the body of Cora King, the 18-year-old daughter of a Kentucky senator, was found in a badly decomposed state in the lake surrounding Cora’s family’s island home. Frankie, who was Cora’s best friend, was charged with the murder based solely on her previous arrest record. Now Frankie’s out of appeals, and her execution date has been set. When a reporter comes looking for Cora’s sister, one Elizabeth King, Nyla discovers that is her mom. She starts with trying to understand why her mother fled from her wealthy family—the two of them have lived a hardscrabble, peripatetic life—then, becoming enmeshed in difficult family dynamics, seeks to prove Frankie’s innocence and find the real killer. Stevens’ sentence-level writing sizzles, effectively conveying both Nyla’s heart and the Kentucky setting. The pacing falters, however, and some of the characters feel one-note, to the point that the climactic scene doesn’t evoke the emotion that it should. Main characters read as White.
Sparkles like a diamond at first but does not fulfill its initial promise. (discussion questions) (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7852-3848-5
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Heart-rending and heartwarming.
Traumatic amnesia and the smothering confines of a conservative town can’t stunt the blooming of young love.
Stevie Green and Nora Martin have been dating secretly for nearly two years when disaster strikes: a terrible accident, a head injury, and suddenly, 18-year-old Stevie has no memory of the past couple of years. She returns from the hospital to a life where nothing feels quite familiar. Her mother, whom she always considered a best friend, is distant due to the reverberations of events that Stevie can’t remember. Her father has grown remote, engrossed by the pundits on Fox News and regurgitating intolerant beliefs. Even Savannah and Rory, her closest friends from Catholic school, feel like strangers, endorsing anti-Asian comments even though Stevie is biracial (Korean and implied White). And then there’s Nora, a girl she can’t recall meeting in her former life but whom she feels utterly connected to all the same. As Stevie fights to regain her memories and reconcile the sensations of wrongness that pervade her relationships, Nora fights for Stevie, determined that their love will regrow despite the hurdles presented by their town and her own hostile, physically abusive mother. Derrick tells Stevie’s story with finesse, the beats well paced and building powerfully. Small-town Pennsylvania is vividly portrayed, the complex emotions Stevie feels for her hometown becoming viscerally relatable.
Heart-rending and heartwarming. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781665902373
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling and exquisitely grotesque showcase of young women taking charge.
Three young women team up to track down a serial killer who’s targeting witches.
Jude Wolf became cursed after a deal with a demon went awry; as a result, she was kicked out of her rich and well-connected family. Zara Jones wants to bring her murdered sister back from the dead so she can make amends. They both need the help of Emer Byrne, a powerful type of witch known as a cursewriter. With a dark past of her own, Emer writes invocations that give women power in exchange for letting a demon have part of their souls, turning them into witches. When the trio of women, who are cued white, realize that the serial killer on the loose in London is specifically going after Emer’s previous clients, they pool their resources. Jude is independently wealthy, Zara has incredible puzzle-solving skills, and Emer brings her witchy prowess: Together they work to fight back and find the killer. Filled with feminist rage and a sprinkle of queer romance, this lushly written tale methodically builds to a heart-pounding confrontation. Each woman is separately introduced, and then Sutherland expertly weaves together their lives in intricate and fascinating ways. The characters’ relationships evolve as the stakes become increasingly dangerous. Although some of the worldbuilding details are waved away, the evocative body horror, distinct and compelling leads, and twisty plot will keep readers immersed in this grisly story.
A thrilling and exquisitely grotesque showcase of young women taking charge. (Paranormal thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2024
ISBN: 9780593532263
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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