A suspenseful, detailed, and highly readable work of science fiction.
In Antani’s YA SF novel, a teenager investigates the disappearance of his scientist father.
Nearly a decade after his father went missing, 17-year-old Dev Harrison is still struggling to come to terms with the fact that his dad, the brilliant physicist Gavin Harrison, is gone. Gavin successfully created the first known wormhole—a bridge connecting separate points in space and time—prior to his presumed death. As Dev has haunting dreams that drive him to probe the mystery of his father’s vanishing, a devastating meteor shower occurs that unleashes a virus that turns humans into bloodthirsty, apelike creatures, which, in turn, results in civil unrest. Dev and his school friends, Conner and Abby, soon discover that the greatest threat they face isn’t from the infected but from others who are corrupting science for their own ends. Dev uses his father’s wormhole tech to reunite with him, and the two men, lost in time, must figure out a way to get back home. Antani’s work is full of vivid descriptions that will capture readers’ imaginations, and his nuanced scientific explanations lend credibility to a complex, otherworldly tale. He wisely balances the technical subject matter with compelling characters and fast-paced action, resulting in a work that’s smart and easy to follow. That said, although the main characters are teens, this work may not be suitable for younger audiences due to some intense, violent, and frightening sequences. These moments are relatively uncommon, however, and the work rarely crosses into the realm of truly graphic horror. Overall, this is a suspenseful and haunting work anchored in genuine emotion, and the story’s conclusion is certain to leave readers wanting more.
A suspenseful, detailed, and highly readable work of science fiction.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-9884193-1-5
Page Count: 342
Publisher: Bandwagon Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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
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