By turns lyrical and bleak and leavened at times with grim, bleak humor or goofiness, the ten stories in this anthology either entertain or terrorize—or both. Although the title conjures up a vision of Victoria Holt–like heroines in peril, Noyes has assembled an exciting variety of dark fantasy and horror stories—all far more sinister and less predictable than formulaic “gothic” tales. After a rather tame start with Joan Aiken’s Lungewater—that provides standard gothic fare—terror takes over. Vivian VandeVelde, M.T. Anderson, Gregory Maguire, Garth Nix, and others offer ghosts and vampires, ghouls and sorcerers, and monstrous family members to quicken the pulse and provide frissons of fear. Consistently well-written, these stories will appeal to many fantasy readers and all horror readers and they will lead to exploration of other writings by the authors. The level of terror, violence, and overt sexual content mark this book for older readers—who will enjoy it mightily. (Fiction YA)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-7636-2243-5
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An intimate portrait of female friendship laced with literal and metaphorical magic.
Getting through high school requires more than a little bit of magic.
On prom night, when Alexis accidentally kills Josh Harper, she panics and summons her five best friends—Paulie, Roya, Iris, Marcelina, and Maryam—for help. Alexis knows she can rely on them, not only because of their unshakeable friendship, but because of what they have in common: the ability to do magic. Attempting to make things right, the girls cast a spell but are left with a disconnected collection of Josh’s body parts, including a cold, glassy version of his heart. They divide them up and agree to dispose of what is left of Josh, piece by piece. Alexis insists on witnessing each body-part-releasing ceremony, in the process exploring her bonds with her friends—and, in one case, feelings that go far beyond friendship. But as their relationships strengthen, the spell takes its toll: Every time they lose a body part, the girls lose something too, forcing them to rethink how they define themselves and each other. This work of speculative fiction is a profoundly thoughtful exploration of female friendship, love, growth, and identity. The fully realized characters are diverse in ethnicity, sexuality, and gender identity. While the final two-thirds of the book are beautifully paced, balancing introspection and character development with plot, the first third at times feels weighed down by explanation and backstory.
Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3287-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A violent and voluptuous adventure.
A magical coming-of-age tale.
A beautifully imagined examination of the bonds that tie sisters, friends, families, and lovers, Bovalino’s sophomore novel is bursting with empowered women who are eager to prove themselves against the otherworldly, often deadly challenges they meet at a mystical, dangerous goblin market and the strange Inbetween. Returning from Boston to York in the north of England, Louisa Wickett-Stevens, the 17-year-old asexual protagonist, enters a hidden world of goblins and witches. When her best friend, Neela, who is also Lou’s mother’s much-younger half sister, goes missing, Lou learns a great deal about herself and what she’s willing to risk. She also discovers the secrets her mother and aunt May have tried to protect her from all her life. Starting off slowly, the story builds as backstories and timelines are established. While the shifting narrative structure that moves between past and present feels somewhat more burdensome than revelatory, once the pieces fall into position, the stakes are high, and readers discover full characters that are richly developed. Plot-oriented readers may find the unfolding trajectory of events mildly predictable, but fans of horror-adjacent fantasy will revel in the lavish worldbuilding. Distinctly contemplative while action-oriented, the book spills blood on the pages that is neither wasted nor exploited in this fierce fantasy tinted with horror themes. Diversity is cued through names and skin tones as well as descriptions of multiple characters’ diverse sexual orientations; Lou reads as White.
A violent and voluptuous adventure. (Paranormal fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: May 3, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64567-466-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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