Solid.
Orloff mixes suspense, romance and Greek mythology to tell the tale of a 16-year-old girl who learns that her dreams might kill her.
When Iris falls asleep, she always has the same dream: She walks down an endless hallway with doors stretching to infinity in both directions, searching for a boy she knows is there somewhere. It turns out that these dreams are real and that Iris has a strong connection to several of the Greek gods, who also turn out to be real. She finally meets Sebastian, who she’s sure is her soul mate, in her dream, but he’s trapped there unless he’s willing to risk his life to cross into the mortal world. However, a war is breaking out among the gods, and Iris finds herself caught in the middle of the action. Epiales, the god of nightmares, takes the fight directly into the mortal world, trashing Iris’ house and threatening her entire family. Among the gods on Iris’ side is Aphrodite, marvelously drawn as an overweight diva with zest for life and lust for the local Greek pastry baker, who sashays into Iris’ house to protect her. Orloff heads each chapter with a quotation related to dreams from writers as diverse as Shakespeare and Ruth Rendell. These reinforce the thematic emphasis on the importance of dreams and dreaming, neatly executed without sacrificing excitement or humor.
Solid. (Paranormal thriller. 12 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-14-242407-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Speak/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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