It’s been nine years since the publication of Hard Love (1999), but only four months have passed for Marisol, who’s deferred her matriculation at Stanford to write a novel. She enrolls in adult-ed classes in writing and moves in with her best friend. It’s a fairy-tale life for this urbane lesbian, which only improves when Marisol meets her teacher: gorgeous, charismatic Olivia, who seems drawn to Marisol. As Marisol’s relationship with Olivia intensifies, her friends worry that something’s not right. Marisol’s love of home shines through in the lovingly detailed descriptions of her neighborhood, the novel’s prose mirroring Marisol’s classroom assignment to describe a sense of place: “[Shake] up the familiar scene,” Olivia says, plagiarizing Anaïs Nin. Despite Marisol’s talents, however, she never makes the leap from privileged self-assurance into awareness of the larger world. It’s only in the novel’s final pages that Marisol confronts the price of her close-mindedness. Even then, she doesn’t understand her mistakes, learning only that she doesn’t always win. A rich and solid representation of a girl on the cusp of maturity. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: July 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4169-1623-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Thrilling, timely, and terrific.
Tragedy and heroism interweave in a story about revolution, resistance, and beautiful queer love.
After the devastating ending to We Set the Dark on Fire (2019), Carmen Santos, no longer the Segunda to Mateo Garcia, Medio’s most powerful heir, is on the run toward the La Voz headquarters. Carmen used to be one of the resistance’s most well-respected members, but after years away on undercover assignment, she finds the fabled El Buitre’s wavering leadership has taken a new, hazardous direction. Proving that her allegiance to the cause remains as strong as ever is more difficult than expected, her heart torn between her beliefs and Dani, the girl she has fallen in love with but doesn’t know yet if she can fully trust. Shifting perspective and setting to Carmen and the La Voz camp (after the first novel centered Dani and the capital) is a bold choice that ultimately pans out as readers are rewarded with Carmen’s strong, determined voice and Mejia’s lush writing depicting the complexities of the ongoing fight against oppression in a divided, Latinx-inspired world. Carmen’s divided heart rings true, her daring actions meeting deadly consequences that realistically intensify the narrative without losing track of what the fight is all about: equality for all. A second—and final—volume that not only surpasses the accomplishments of its celebrated predecessor, but takes it to a higher, brighter level.
Thrilling, timely, and terrific. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-269134-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A celebration of Black teen love and the magic of possibility.
Six authors collaborate to create an interwoven story set during a blackout.
Unbearably hot temperatures in New York City cause a sudden blackout, simultaneously throwing plans into chaos and creating unexpected opportunities. Contributor Clayton, who is joined by YA superstars Jackson, Stone, Thomas, Woodfolk, and Yoon, was inspired by Covid-19 and the “metaphorical blackout” it has created for the world to initiate this project that embraces a wide spectrum of Blackness and sexuality. The characters’ final destination is a block party in Brooklyn with Jackson’s “The Long Walk,” a story about reconnecting exes told in five acts, serving as the overarching mechanism to connect the narratives. Stone and Woodfolk contribute queer love stories in “Mask Off” and “Made To Fit” respectively. Thomas’ “No Sleep ’Til Brooklyn” begins as a love triangle, progresses to a love quadrangle—and in the end is about self-love and discovery. Clayton’s story, “All the Great Love Stories…and Dust,” is set in the New York Public Library’s main branch and centers on best friends who may become something more. Yoon’s piece completes the novel with strangers finding love in a ride-share car in “Seymour and Grace.” Working together to deliver a fantastic mix of humor and romance, these authors offer something fun and lighthearted that is welcome during the continuing pandemic and that will bring joy long after it’s over.
A celebration of Black teen love and the magic of possibility. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 22, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-308809-2
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
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