A decent descent into the mad world of an imagined film studio with plenty of gory details to delight creature-feature and...
A legally emancipated teen confronts derelict family dynamics, hoping for closure from a terrible childhood at a B-movie studio: Cue zombies and killer cauliflower.
Some kids come from broken homes. Seventeen-year-old Dario Heyward comes from Moldavia, a broken horror film studio. The mere thought of his peculiar 30-something brother, institutionalized mother, and abusive director father gives him hives. Despite this dermal aversion, he returns home for the live (yes, live) burial of 91-year-old dad. When the will names Dario as studio chief, he is forced to consider delaying Harvard while he evaluates his family legacy. Heavy-handed in its dark flourishes, Dario’s first-person narrative avoids being lachrymose and lands somewhere both self-aware of the surrounding silliness and respectful in matters of mental illness and abuse. Moldavia is resplendent with wonderfully wacky details, characters and settings, but the gothic gets rococo-heavy with the weight of so many references to both real and imagined films and know-it-all filmmaking insights. Most characters are presumed white, but there is a diversity in age and socio-economic status. The number of Dario’s conflicts gets clunky: past demons, long-lost mother, loss of innocence, dealing with an abuser, fearing mental illness, sibling rivalry, finding one’s footing in the family business, academic aspirations, and burgeoning love.
A decent descent into the mad world of an imagined film studio with plenty of gory details to delight creature-feature and horror movie buffs. (Fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: July 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-266565-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.
A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.
Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Despite the well-meaning warmth, a wearying plod.
Can a 17-year-old with her first girlfriend prevent real-life folks from discovering her online fandoms?
Cass is proudly queer, happily fat, and extremely secretive about being a fan who role-plays on Discord. Back in middle school, she had what she calls a gaming addiction, playing “The Sims” so much her parents had to take the game away. Now, turning to her role-play friends to cope with her fighting parents, she worries that people will judge her for her fannishness and online life. To be fair, her grades are suffering. And sure, maybe she’s missed a college application deadline. Also, her mom has suddenly left Minneapolis and moved to Maine to be with a man she met online. But on the other hand, Cass is finally dating her amazingly cute longtime crush, Taylor. Pansexual Taylor is a gamer, a little bit punk, White like Cass, and so, so great—but she still can’t help comparing her to Rowan, Cass’ online best friend and role-playing ship partner. But Rowan doesn’t want to be a dirty little secret and doesn’t see why Cass can’t be honest about this part of her life. The inevitable train wreck of her lies looms on the horizon for months in an overlong morality play building to the climax that includes tidy resolutions to all the character arcs that are quite heartwarming but, in the case of Cass’ estranged mother, narratively unearned.
Despite the well-meaning warmth, a wearying plod. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-324332-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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