Surviving an alien apocalypse (check). Escaping repressive, fanatical scientists (check). But that is hardly the end for Amy, as this sequel to In the After (2013) demonstrates.
Having escaped the “safe” enclave New Hope with the help of friends, 17-year-old Amy keeps her sonic emitter close to ward off Floraes, which, it turns out, are humans zombified by a bacteria rather than aliens. Amy isn’t sure she wants to travel to Fort Black, another enclave of normal humans, until she gets a communication from her friend Kay that the evil Dr. Reynolds, who nearly killed Amy, now has her foster sister, Baby, and is experimenting on her. Kay indicates that Ken, her brother, who is at Fort Black, may be able to help. When Amy arrives, she finds Fort Black was actually a prison, and conditions haven’t improved much. She must try to find Ken while dodging homicidal maniac Tank. She has the help of Jacks, the Warden’s nephew, but she must pretend to be Jacks’ possession, which doesn’t sit well. Can she find Ken and maybe help with a vaccine to end the Florae menace? Lunetta’s conclusion to her duology is not as twisty or enthralling as its predecessor (all the good reveals have been revealed), but it does extend Amy’s tale with action and romance.
Fans will enjoy this greatly, but the real punch was in the first. (Science fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: June 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-06-210548-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
Categories: TEEN FICTION | TEEN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
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Clare’s (Ghosts of the Shadow Market, 2019, etc.) latest is set in the Shadowhunter world in the 20th century’s first decade (with frequent flashbacks to the previous one).
Teenage offspring of the Herondales, Carstairs, Fairchilds, and other angel-descended Nephilim continue their families’ demon-fighting ways amid a round of elegant London balls, soirees, salons, picnics, and romantic intrigues. James Herondale, 17-year-old son of Will and Tessa, finds himself and his “perfectly lethal dimple” hung up between two stunning new arrivals: Cordelia Carstairs, red-haired Persian/British wielder of a fabled magic sword, and Grace Blackthorn, an emotionally damaged but (literally, as the author unsubtly telegraphs) spellbinding friend from childhood. Meanwhile, a sudden outbreak of demonic attacks that leave more and more Shadowhunters felled by a mysterious slow poison plunges James and a cohort of allies into frantic searches for both a cause and an antidote. Ichor-splashed encounters with ravening boojums and even one of hell’s own princes ensue—all leading to final hints of a devastating scheme to destroy the Nephilim in which James himself is slated to play a central role. Characters have a range of skin tones, but ethnic diversity adds no texture to the portrayals; there is a lesbian cousin who wears traditionally male clothing and two young gay men (one tortured, the other less so).
Busy, busy, busy…with portents of doom. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3187-3
Page Count: 624
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Jan. 23, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Categories: TEEN FICTION | TEEN HISTORICAL FICTION | TEEN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
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After a family tragedy, 16-year-old Ivy Mason hopes to reconnect with her aloof identical twin sister, Iris—but Iris has other plans.
When Ivy’s parents divorced 10 years ago, Ivy stayed with her father while Iris went to live with their mother. When their mother dies after falling off a bridge while jogging, Iris comes to live with Ivy and their father. Narrator Ivy is reeling (she even goes to therapy), but Iris seems strangely detached, only coming to life when Ivy introduces her to her best friends, Haley and Sophie, and her quarterback boyfriend, Ty. However, Ivy isn’t thrilled when Iris wants to change her class schedule to match hers, and it’s not long before Iris befriends Ivy’s besties and even makes plans with them that don’t include Ivy. Iris even joins the swim team where Ivy is a star swimmer. As Iris’ strange behavior escalates, Ivy starts to suspect that their mother’s death might not have been an accident. Is Iris up to no good, or is Ivy just paranoid? In the end, readers may not care. There are few surprises to be found in a narrative populated by paper-thin characters stuck fast in a derivative plot. Even a jarring final twist can’t save this one. Most characters seem to be white, but there is some diversity in secondary characters.
A lackluster take on a well-worn trope. (Thriller. 13-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-12496-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Jan. 23, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Categories: TEEN FICTION | TEEN PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL | TEEN MYSTERY & THRILLER
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