Slow to get going, but ultimately wins through to a hard-fought triumph.
Earth, the outlying colony of an overextended alien galactic empire, falls victim to interstellar raiders in this sequel to Exo (2017).
The first tentative steps toward reconciliation between the zhree overlords and the human resistance known as Sapience are thrown off-kilter by the sudden announcement from the Mur Erzen Commonwealth’s capital that the zhree will be withdrawing for strategic reasons—leaving Earth vulnerable to the Rii, a nomadic, planet-destroying zhree offshoot. Donovan Reyes, a human soldier who has been Hardened with retractable armor and raised since childhood in the group-oriented zhree culture, is pitched into the middle of increasingly violent events and unwillingly finds himself a go-between, desperately seeking common ground between his own species and the zhree colonizers who, having themselves been born on Earth, are reluctant to leave. As it turns out, Donovan isn’t the only member of his closely knit unit who nurses hidden connections with Sapience. All the wrestling with guilty secrets and divided loyalties makes for a talky first half, but readers who weather the angst are rewarded with a string of brutal, intense action scenes. Human diversity is indicated by names rather than physical descriptions.
Slow to get going, but ultimately wins through to a hard-fought triumph. (Science fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-13909-9
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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
Part cautionary tale, part juicy love story, this will appeal to action and adventure fans who aren't yet sick of the genre.
A dystopic thriller joins the crowded shelves but doesn't distinguish itself.
Juliette was torn from her home and thrown into an asylum by The Reestablishment, a militaristic regime in control since an environmental catastrophe left society in ruins. Juliette’s journal holds her tortured thoughts in an attempt to repress memories of the horrific act that landed her in a cell. Mysteriously, Juliette’s touch kills. After months of isolation, her captors suddenly give her a cellmate—Adam, a drop-dead gorgeous guy. Adam, it turns out, is immune to her deadly touch. Unfortunately, he’s a soldier under orders from Warner, a power-hungry 19-year-old. But Adam belongs to a resistance movement; he helps Juliette escape to their stronghold, where she finds that she’s not the only one with superhuman abilities. The ending falls flat as the plot devolves into comic-book territory. Fast-paced action scenes convey imminent danger vividly, but there’s little sense of a broader world here. Overreliance on metaphor to express Juliette’s jaw-dropping surprise wears thin: “My mouth is sitting on my kneecaps. My eyebrows are dangling from the ceiling.” For all of her independence and superpowers, Juliette never moves beyond her role as a pawn in someone else’s schemes.
Part cautionary tale, part juicy love story, this will appeal to action and adventure fans who aren't yet sick of the genre. (Science fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-208548-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
SEEN & HEARD
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