Speculative fiction with a “family values" spin.
After surviving a harrowing accident with his beloved Nine, Theron has been Remade and is home to recover and begin his chosen Trade as a Healer. But Nine is gone—she isn’t coming back, and no amount of cage fighting or buzz drinks can fill the emptiness in his life.
Though he’s favored by Eridian, the Prime Maker running Freedom 1, it’s only because she hopes he can lure “free-breaker” Nine back under her control. If that hope fades, Eri will certainly let Bron, one of the Seekers who enforce her will, tear him apart, and even his fighting skills aren’t going to help against the law. Theron drinks and fights his way through life, though he’s finding some contentment as a Healer in the trauma station. When he saves a man called Catcher, he kicks off a chain of events that makes his little life impossible to sustain. The concept of Family, though alien to Theron, inspires a rebel force that’s going to take Freedom 1 and stop the dark, horrible secrets that lurk under the city. In this sequel to Remake (2014), Todd writes a cinematically drawn, well-paced story set in the South Pacific. A major arc involving richly written Pacific Islanders breaks up the relentless whiteness of Freedom 1, and there are a number of well-rounded disabled characters, including Theron. Given this sensitivity to diversity, the heteronormativity and gender binary roles repeatedly reinforced as “good” versus the gender-fluid “evil” of Freedom 1 and Eridian are sour notes that restrict this book’s audience.
Speculative fiction with a “family values" spin. (Dystopia. 12-18)Pub Date: July 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-62972-104-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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