An absorbing, taut coming-of-age tale that grapples intelligently with mortality and liberty.
On the day she’s supposed to die, a teenager escapes her tightly controlled community in this YA SF novel.
In the future, after devastating wars and climate change have left the planet a toxic ruin, the Directorate emerges to provide safety and guidance for its people. All citizens bear a “departure date” inked onto their wrists, the day they must die (to avoid suffering) as predicted by Directorate technology. Most will live into their hundreds, but not Evalee “Evie” Henders—she is scheduled to depart at 17 years old. Still somehow alive after taking her suicide pill, she’s smuggled away for a second try but is saved at the last minute by Kinlee, a girl who leads her to a forest camp of Directorate-defying rebels. Evie finds this new world frighteningly unsafe at first but soon questions what she’s been taught, finding her place (and a boyfriend) in the community. She wishes to rescue Gracelyn, her brilliant younger sister. In turn, Gracelyn is troubled by suspicions that Evie didn’t die. On track to join the Directorate elite, Gracelyn puts herself in danger by searching for clues and accepting help from shady allies. As tensions mount between the rebels and the Directorate, the sisters will face difficult choices. Wenstrom, with a series of YA fantasy novels under her belt, now turns to SF. Evie is a compelling hero: Though her foundation is rocked, she shows admirable courage and resilience. The novel offers entertaining action, romance, and suspense, plus a complex exploration of the Directorate and its goals. Moreover, the story raises serious issues for thoughtful consideration, such as whether it’s worth giving up freedom to avoid pain or the difficulty of living with another’s choices.
An absorbing, taut coming-of-age tale that grapples intelligently with mortality and liberty.Pub Date: June 30, 2021
ISBN: 979-8-52-926515-4
Page Count: 303
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
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
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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