A satisfying duology closer.
Saoirse Sorkova embarks on a perilous journey in this follow-up to Sing Me To Sleep (2023).
One week after the tumultuous events of the first book, Saoirse is a fugitive, brokenhearted over the betrayal by her former best friend, Carrik Solwey. Hayes, the newly crowned king, struggles with self-confidence as he aspires to undo his father’s oppressive legacy, which includes the creation of an impenetrable barrier. Inside, water fae dominate, humans are at the bottom, and sirens like Saoirse are forbidden. Outside, the promise of a more just world beckons Saoirse to imagine a place where she and her much-loved sister, Rain, can live without persecution. With a growing Resistance army threatening to invade Keirdre, Hayes directs Saoirse and Carrik to investigate what lies beyond the barrier. Off they go, their explorations and dangerous encounters with curious new creatures seamlessly expanding on the previously established expert worldbuilding of this fantasy universe centering on Black and brown characters. Returning readers who appreciated Saoirse’s cunning ways and stealthy fighting skills will be pleased: In search of a more mature self-understanding, she wrestles with forgiveness as she hones her killer instincts and her innate ability to manipulate others. Even if the pacing plods at times, given the greater emphasis on political strategy and the relatively little time devoted to the steamy romance that made the earlier volume so alluring, readers will celebrate as Saoirse reaches for the vulnerability and honesty that unconditional love requires.
A satisfying duology closer. (map) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9781547610419
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
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
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship.
A battered girl and an injured rugby star spark up an ill-advised romance at an Irish secondary school.
Beautiful, waiflike, 15-year-old Shannon has lived her entire life in Ballylaggin. Alternately bullied at school and beaten by her ne’er-do-well father, she’s hopeful for a fresh start at Tommen, a private school. Seventeen-year-old Johnny, who has a hair-trigger temper and a severe groin injury, is used to Dublin’s elite-level rugby but, since his family’s move to County Cork, is now stuck captaining Tommen’s middling team. When Johnny angrily kicks a ball and knocks Shannon unconscious (“a soft female groan came from her lips”), a tentative relationship is born. As the two grow closer, Johnny’s past and Shannon’s present become serious obstacles to their budding love, threatening Shannon’s safety. Shannon’s portrayal feels infantilized (“I looked down at the tiny little female under my arm”), while Johnny comes across as borderline obsessive (“I knew I shouldn’t be touching her, but how the hell could I not?”). Uneven pacing and choppy sentences lead to a sudden climax and an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending. Repetitive descriptions, abundant and misogynistic dialogue (Johnny, to his best friend: “who’s the bitch with a vagina now?”), and graphic violence also weigh down this lengthy tome (considerably trimmed down from its original, self-published length). The cast of lively, well-developed supporting characters, especially Johnny’s best friend and Shannon’s protective older brother, is a bright spot. Major characters read white.
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship. (author’s note, pronunciations, glossary, song moments, playlists) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781728299945
Page Count: 626
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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