This exhilarating tale boasts a dauntless young female at the helm.
Island castaways in the early-17th century fight for survival—and amongst themselves—in Carson-Williams’ debut YA historical novel.
Sixteen-year-old Alice Drinkard finally gets to share an adventure with her father. They’re leaving their London home for the New World, where his new business opportunity awaits. Alice is angry that her mother is joining them, as she’d tried marrying her daughter off to an older man despite Alice being smitten with someone else. There’s hostility between the two during the lengthy journey aboard the Sea Venture, but a hurricane changes everything. The vessel takes so much damage that the passengers are forced to abandon ship and take refuge on an uninhabited land called the Isle of Devils. There, the mostly male survivors argue over who’s in charge (a governor-to-be or the Sea Venture’s admiral?). This incites bad blood, violence, and even murder. “Land-lubbers” like Alice were happy to find land and not die somewhere in the ocean, but as men mutiny and advocate capital punishment, it’s clear that the battle to stay alive is far from over. Carson-Williams layers this taut, sharply written narrative with engaging conflicts and unrelenting tension. Alice, in addition to clashing with her mother (or “Her Highness,” as she scornfully calls her), gleans a dark family secret while onboard. At the same time, everyone seems to be at each other’s throats, both on the ship and on the island; even the manner of potential escape is a source of contention. Alice is a levelheaded, resourceful protagonist who devises a way to stop leaks (during an unabating hurricane) and catches on to one person’s sketchiness much sooner than anyone else. The author, who based this story on the real-life Sea Venture shipwreck, deftly weaves in historical tidbits—most notably regarding William Shakespeare, whose The Tempest was reputedly inspired by the fate of the Sea Venture.
This exhilarating tale boasts a dauntless young female at the helm.Pub Date: yesterday
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 256
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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