Readers will find this infectious; highly recommended.
What do you do after the world has ended?
After an influenza strain with a mortality rate of 99.9% sweeps across the world, two survivors, White teens Jamie and Andrew, are brought together by happenstance after Andrew’s leg is caught in an abandoned bear trap and Jamie takes pity, welcoming him into his cabin. A promise of potential help from overseas sets the new pair off on a trek from Pennsylvania to Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and beyond. Along the way, their encounters with different survivors test and strengthen their resolve and their bonds. The narrative, alternating between Andrew’s and Jamie’s first-person perspectives, is successful at relaying both teens’ reasons for making the journey; the story develops organically. Hints to big reveals are subtly scattered throughout, which should successfully hold curious readers’ attention: Many will be white knuckled as the twists and turns slowly unfold along with the boys’ romance. Those looking to escape the gloom and doom of Covid-19 news may shy away from the topic of a pandemic-driven apocalypse, but that would be a shame because this story delivers. Book clubs and discussion groups will have a lot to dig into, especially as the backstory of Andrew and a mysterious family, the Fosters, slowly unfolds. A haunting story that’s sure to delight (and terrify).
Readers will find this infectious; highly recommended. (Post-apocalyptic adventure. 12-18)Pub Date: March 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-305497-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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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