Muted opulence forms the backdrop to this slightly disjointed space drama.
A teenage girl desperately tries to take control of her life even when choices seem to be ripped from her grasp.
Viktoria Hale and her family struggle to get by on the poverty-stricken planet Philomenus. Even with Vika’s mysterious benefactor helping to provide some favors, money is always tight. Then one day, young solicitor Archer Sheratan appears at her family’s flat and informs them that her benefactor is the recently deceased Rigel Chapin, a multibillionaire tycoon from neighboring planet Ploutos. Vika was named as a key figure in his will: Provided Chapin’s estranged son, Leo, agrees to marry her, he will inherit his father’s fortune. Although the ship carrying Leo to meet her explodes, killing him, Vika is whisked into the rich, glamorous society of Ploutos, where she continues to enjoy the company of Archer and tries her best to avoid a suspicious, bespectacled young man who is employed by her hosts. Vika is determined to do whatever it takes to ensure financial security for herself and her family, no matter the personal stakes. With a futuristic space setting that is underutilized in the story, this narrative relies heavily on descriptions of refined luxuries that lend a Victorian air. There is a fair amount of intrigue to keep readers invested, but too many tangents fail to coalesce into a rounded whole. Main characters seem to be White; secondary characters have a range of skin tones.
Muted opulence forms the backdrop to this slightly disjointed space drama. (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-78376-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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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