A wild cliffhanger ended the first, so readers will definitely want to get their hands on this sequel, but the suspension of...
Two teens afflicted with a rare medical disorder continue unraveling the mystery begun in What We Saw at Night (2013).
Rob and Allie, bound together since childhood due to their diagnoses with a life-threatening allergy to sunlight called Xeroderma Pigmentosum, are deeply in love. They are also both convincingly bereft as they mourn the death of Juliet, the former third of their trio. Less believably, Allie is convinced that Juliet’s suicide was actually a murder perpetrated by an undetected serial killer, who she suspects is a member of the wealthy, powerful family that founded the clinic in her town that treats XP. When Rob introduces Allie to free diving—which involves descending under water to great depths with no oxygen source—she discovers bodies the killer has hidden in Lake Superior. While each of these plot points is fascinating, their combination strains credulity and eventually weighs down the narrative. Unlikely coincidences also abound, including the fact that the land that bears the den of horrors and burial ground of the villain was originally owned by Allie’s pal Gideon, so he’s able to give her plenty of tips about it.
A wild cliffhanger ended the first, so readers will definitely want to get their hands on this sequel, but the suspension of disbelief it demands is mammoth. (Thriller. 14 & up)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-61695-143-6
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Soho Teen
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
A well-rounded feast for the heart.
On the cusp of adulthood, a 17-year-old girl escapes her abusive home and discovers a refuge in a sleepy Arizona town.
Two weeks have passed since Nana’s funeral. Her absence still feels raw to Lucy Sánchez, a Mexican American girl who has inherited her grandmother’s love for and knowledge of cooking. Home offers little solace. Lucy’s mother is a ghost of her former self; her father, meanwhile, is a violent tyrant. When Lucy’s brother, Mario, arrives home late one day, it sets their dad off in a rage, and Mario runs away from home. It doesn’t take long for Lucy to fall victim to her father’s ire, and she’s soon plotting her own way out. After a brief spell with her aunt, Lucy decides to head to Los Angeles to enroll in culinary training. On the road, however, she spots a help wanted sign on the window of La Cocina, a small-town restaurant. Lucy ultimately finds what she needs there to start over away from the trauma of her past: a community of supportive (mostly Latinx) friends, an opportunity for love—and even a puppy. In this tale of resilience and recovery, Bernal keeps the pacing tight and brisk, mapping out Lucy’s arc from scared adolescent to triumphant yet cautious chef-in-progress. Despite a somewhat abrupt ending, readers will find a story buoyed by likable characters and the author’s compassionate writing.
A well-rounded feast for the heart. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-55885-915-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A captivating and satisfying queer fantasy.
Teenage heroes uncover fae secrets and fight the forces of evil.
Rags is a skilled thief chosen to break into an elaborately guarded fae ruin. Inside, he awakens a handsome, tattooed fae warrior who vows to protect him, and Rags is thrust unwittingly into adventure. Soon the cast expands to an ensemble of six heroes and a diverse supporting cast of friends and foes. The team seeks to assemble the pieces of an ancient fae weapon that look like giant silver animals. They also have to outsmart the evil sorcerer Morien, aid the Resistance against the queen, and discover the terrible secret at the heart of the court. Meanwhile, Rags is trying to figure out his own feelings toward the fae warrior Shining Talon. Jones and Bennett play the hits—magical companion animals, ethereal magic warriors, an evil queen—yet do so with skill, excitement, and a unique aesthetic. This world of court intrigue and immortal fae with skin covered in black tattoos feels at once comfortably familiar and intriguingly new. By the end, readers will be itching for more. Of the heroes, four are White, one is brown-skinned, and one is a fantasy race with golden skin and black hair. One has a disability, not handled with great sensitivity—he is “familiar with curses, having been born one to his mother,” readers are told, and his arm and leg are repeatedly described as “withered”; another is transgender.
A captivating and satisfying queer fantasy. (pronunciation guide) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-294144-2
Page Count: 544
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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