This latest attempt to bring the story of the Night Witches to life runs too long and lands short of the runway.
A young Soviet woman fulfills her dreams of flying for the Red Army’s air force during World War II in this historical debut.
Valka Koroleva wants nothing more than to join the war effort as a fighter pilot, inspired by the daring example set by her idol, Russian airwoman Marina Raskova. When the opportunity presents itself to try out for Raskova’s brand-new all-female fighter and bomber regiments, Valka and her cousin Iskra do whatever it takes to prove their worth as airwomen and ultimately gain themselves spots in the 588th Night Bomber Squadron, a group of women who would become known and feared among the Germans as the “Night Witches.” Meanwhile, Valka’s sensitive childhood friend Pasha is drafted into the army before she can sort out her feelings for him. Much of the action of the novel is subsequently described in long letters the two exchange throughout the course of the war, lending a stilted, secondhand quality to the proceedings and robbing them of the urgency that should rightly accompany the valiant actions depicted. Though many of Valka and Iskra’s compatriots are based on real airwomen who were part of the all-female Aviation Group 122, their characterizations are unfortunately thin and underdeveloped.
This latest attempt to bring the story of the Night Witches to life runs too long and lands short of the runway. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-264274-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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
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