Convoluted but breathlessly exciting.
A new virus threatens humanity in the follow-up to This Mortal Coil (2017).
It’s only been a week since 18-year-old crackerjack coder Catarina “Cat” Agatta sent the vaccine she helped develop into the gentech embedded in every person, eradicating a terrible virus that caused its victims to detonate, leaving survivors holed up in underground bunkers. Unfortunately, Cartaxus scientist Dr. Lachlan Agatta, who taught Cat everything she knows, and who she thought was her father until recently, has fled, taking his plan to recode humanity with him. Cat and her companions must stop Lachlan and find a way to head off a new strain of the virus that kills even faster than the last before Cartaxus takes extreme measures. Additionally, Cat’s suppressed childhood memories are coming back with a vengeance, and she must come to terms not only with her identity, but also her destiny. Suvada has created a fascinating, complex world where DNA can be easily manipulated (and where race isn’t easily defined) and technology can open the mind to endless possibilities. Respecting her readers, she offers plenty of food for thought about how far technology can take humanity and how far we should let it. Plenty of (occasionally terrifying) action and twists keep the pages turning all the way to the revelatory finale. New readers may be a bit lost and will want to begin with the first volume.
Convoluted but breathlessly exciting. (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 30, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9636-0
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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