In Strauss’ debut novel, Casey Donavan must deal with all the average problems of the average, modern teenage girl: body image issues, mean girls at school, an impossible crush—and spontaneous time travel.
Within the opening paragraphs of this YA romance, the reader learns about Casey’s time-traveling woes. Casey tells the reader herself, in fact, using the same sarcastic, witty first-person voice consistently maintained throughout the book. First-person perspective done right makes a protagonist seem more accessible, and Strauss certainly does it right with Casey. Aside from her secret time-traveling troubles, Casey must also deal with all the relatable drama that often defines one’s teenage years. But if she thought that balancing her two separate lives proved difficult before, it only gets harder after her two worlds collide; she accidentally takes her crush—school heartthrob and star athlete Nate Mackenzie—back in time with her, and the whole situation leaves him feeling more than a little unnerved. All things considered, though, he adapts remarkably well to this strange set of circumstances and the unusual girl responsible for them—which is fortunate, considering the fact that Casey accidentally drags him back to the 1860s nearly every time they touch. The two of them must determine the nature of their unexpected relationship while navigating turbulent times together. Strauss successfully addresses the societal differences between then and now, providing enough detail to make the characters’ actions seem plausible without overwhelming the reader with too much historical information. The author addresses the difficult topic of time travel in a similarly balanced manner, leaving the phenomenon just vague enough to prevent too many sticky questions from popping up. The lack of detail in some portions of the novel make a few scenes seem rushed, however, and may leave readers wishing they had more to mull over. Readers who “trip” back in time with Casey will wish they could stay longer in her strangely relatable place.
Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2011
ISBN: 978-1466440968
Page Count: 292
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Feb. 28, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Truly fantastic.
This dark fantasy duology opener has a magic school, a death, and five students who find themselves stranded in the wilderness.
Ren Monroe is a promising student wizard at Balmerick, a private school in the city of Kathor. Along with her best friend, Timmons, Ren is one of the few welfare students attending on a scholarship, and despite being one of the most accomplished people at the school, finding a placement in one of the top houses is proving difficult and is a hurdle in the way of the secret mission Ren has set out to accomplish. When a portal spell goes awry and Ren, Timmons, and four other students from different walks of life are thrown together into the Dires, an uncharted land where the last dragons lived, one of them ends up dead and the rest need to learn to work together to make their way back home before they succumb to the harsh environment or the terrifying revenant following them. This may well be the chance Ren was looking for to prove her worth. Placing elements of a locked-room mystery and an original magic system within the familiar trappings of a school for magic, this is a no-holds-barred tale of revenge, atonement, and the pursuit of justice set in a world diverse in skin color and social classes. Ren is a protagonist for the ages: equal parts smart, calculating, and ruthless, forming a lethal package as an avenging angel.
Truly fantastic. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-66591-868-8
Page Count: 368
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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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