A wild ride.
Trans teen Barney’s new job solves one problem but creates a series of otherworldly challenges he did not see coming.
Barney’s friend Norma, a girl of South Asian descent who avoids connecting with people, helps him get a job as a janitor at Dead End, a theme park haunted house. Barney assures Norma that everything is fine at home, but once the park closes he looks around for a place to sleep. Barney and his dog, Pugsley, find out the hard way that the elevator in Dead End doubles as a portal to hell. Demons, ghosts, and angels from other planes arrive throughout the story, each with an agenda. Together, Barney and Norma (assisted by Pugsley) fight various beings while dealing with their emotions in the human realm. Norma confronts her social anxiety with the help of hijabi friend Badyah Hassan, and Barney navigates a potential romantic relationship with Logan Nguyen. The art is imaginative and engaging, with rich, evocative color schemes. With time travel, demonic possession, monsters, magic spells, and fights between creatures of pure sadness and pure happiness, there is never a dull moment—but in the realm of human emotion, there are relatable ones. Readers who aren’t dizzied by the action or put off by the multiple levels of destruction will be intrigued.
A wild ride. (Graphic novel. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-910620-47-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Nobrow Ltd.
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
An action-packed tale for those thirsty for more superhero stories.
Grammy Award–winning artist Keys co-authors a YA superhero graphic novel bearing the title of her hit song.
Smart, quiet 14-year-old Loretta “Lolo” Wright struggles to stand up for herself until, on what should be a routine trip to a convenience store, her 16-year-old brother, James, is mistakenly accused of stealing by the police. When the officer slams her brother to the ground, Lolo’s powers manifest for the first time. Meanwhile, Michael Warner, who lives in the same Brooklyn housing projects as the Wrights, is rejected from the football team for being too small. He develops exceptional fighting abilities and shortly afterward gets involved in working for a drug dealer named Skin. When Skin sees a video of Lolo levitating the cop who assaulted James, he wants to recruit her as well, and he tries to extort protection money from Lolo’s dad, who owns a moving business. Lolo must convince Michael to choose a different path; it’s only by working together that they can defeat Skin. Featuring dizzying shifts among multiple perspectives, this full-color graphic novel presents vibrant, expressive characters set against mostly simple, bright backgrounds, with extreme violence depicted in gory detail. The narrative briefly explores class issues and racial stereotypes, but while the setup is intriguing, the momentum fizzles and the pieces never quite come together. Most main characters are Black; Skin reads as White, and secondary characters appear racially diverse.
An action-packed tale for those thirsty for more superhero stories. (Graphic fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-302956-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A promising debut.
A healer who wields powerful magic hopes to solve a terrible mystery and save her country.
Magic is a recessive trait passed down through families, and Wren Southerland’s magic can knit together sinew and bone and return life to the mortally wounded, a vital talent as a lieutenant in the Queen’s Guard. After an impulsive action lands Wren in hot water, she answers a summons to Lord Alistair Lowry’s vast estate in the snowy mountains of Cernos. If Wren heals Henry, his favorite servant, of a mystery illness that has ravaged his staff, Lowry will attempt to broker an alliance between neutral Cernos and hostile Vesria and Danu, restoring Wren’s standing with her aunt, Danu’s Queen Isabel, and Una, Wren’s commanding officer and the woman she loves. But something is definitely off about Lowry; Wren keeps hearing strange noises; and she and her (dangerous) new patient share a searing attraction. Wren’s magic relies largely on her deep scientific knowledge of human anatomy, and she discovers that, despite what she’s been told, her empathy and compassion are not weaknesses. In an alternate world seemingly set in the late 1800s, electric lights are new and people travel by horse and carriage. The Gothic atmosphere includes echoing, candlelit halls; a secret passage; and explosive secrets. Things get off to a slow start, but patient readers who love slow-burn romances will find much to enjoy. Wren is White; Una and Henry are brown-skinned.
A promising debut. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-62363-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
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