YA fantasy that’s stretching its legs, finding its stride; it still stumbles occasionally, but it’s on its way toward...
Roselle (The Cobalt Domain, 2014) continues a sprawling tale of magical lands mysteriously linked to our own, talking animals, teen drama, despots, a family’s struggle to reunite, and the strange mineral that links them all together.
Having left behind the magical lands, or Darus, of the Cobalt Domain, Milo Davenport finds herself, sans memory, in the “real world.” Others will follow, each losing the memory of his or her time in the Darus. Meanwhile, the cryptic notebooks Milo left behind in the Darus offer hope to Jake Lancaster, who seeks to reunite with his lost wife, Julia, and save his son, Beckett. Pioneer, a despot seeking to control the entire Domain, seeks Julia and Beckett as well, but for far more sinister reasons. Caught in the middle is Casey Campbell, a relatively new arrival, yet she just may have a whiff of destiny about her. The question of who—if anyone—will ultimately control the Domain is open, even as answers about the Domain’s true nature and purpose come closer to the light. Like its predecessor, this tangle of interwoven tales is written in quick, easy-to-read prose divided into digestible chapters. Though the page count is hefty, the short chapters make for a quick read. Characters are often more layered than they were in Roselle’s earlier book, with one villain in particular—one who was previously more caricature than character—developing unexpected complexity. The human-turned-animal morphs also shine. Though mostly minor characters, they provide refreshing color and spots of humor. Unfortunately, dialogue suffers regular bouts of clunkiness, which lessens the effectiveness of both characterization and plotting, and with such a large number of characters and plotlines across multiple worlds, the expanding plot can also be hard to track.
YA fantasy that’s stretching its legs, finding its stride; it still stumbles occasionally, but it’s on its way toward outgrowing awkwardness.Pub Date: July 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5006-6497-8
Page Count: 660
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 22, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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