Fervent fans may be satisfied, but newcomers should be steered to better options (or wait for the inevitable movie).
Love-struck teens go to hell and back in this sequel.
After some cursory interactions with her clichéd friends (an angry lesbian and goofy white rapper) and remaining family (her unnamed, weary, now-single mother and oddly toddlerlike 8-year-old brother), Zoe Bissell eagerly trades her humdrum small-town Montana life for more whirlwind romance with 20-year-old brooding, soul-stealing bounty hunter X. Adorkable white teen Zoe undertakes some research then literally plunges into the underworld in pursuit of X. Meanwhile, X—the only living and innocent person in the purgatorial Lowlands—seeks his long-missing mother. X’s MacGuffin-laden quest drags readers across a repulsively and randomly violent Dante’s Inferno rip-off world with all the internal (il)logic and randomly shirtless men of an Old Spice commercial. Secondary characters present as homicidal trading card stats, stereotypes spouting cringeworthy dialogue: the fat, placid, Asian Buddhist; the Cold-War-cartoon “Russian” (who is actually Ukrainian); and the antagonist whose villainy is indicated by inappropriate use of all-caps. Even inexplicably infatuated lovers X and Zoe suffer from cliché, with X’s oddly formal speech and Zoe’s babbling and klutziness. Serious issues like mental illness, domestic violence, and abuse are raised, ham-handedly used to humanize the damned Lowlanders, and then roughly dismissed. The story crams together clichéd YA trends without appreciation for craft, substance, or sympathetic characters.
Fervent fans may be satisfied, but newcomers should be steered to better options (or wait for the inevitable movie). (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: July 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-61963-755-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: April 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Heart-rending and heartwarming.
Traumatic amnesia and the smothering confines of a conservative town can’t stunt the blooming of young love.
Stevie Green and Nora Martin have been dating secretly for nearly two years when disaster strikes: a terrible accident, a head injury, and suddenly, 18-year-old Stevie has no memory of the past couple of years. She returns from the hospital to a life where nothing feels quite familiar. Her mother, whom she always considered a best friend, is distant due to the reverberations of events that Stevie can’t remember. Her father has grown remote, engrossed by the pundits on Fox News and regurgitating intolerant beliefs. Even Savannah and Rory, her closest friends from Catholic school, feel like strangers, endorsing anti-Asian comments even though Stevie is biracial (Korean and implied White). And then there’s Nora, a girl she can’t recall meeting in her former life but whom she feels utterly connected to all the same. As Stevie fights to regain her memories and reconcile the sensations of wrongness that pervade her relationships, Nora fights for Stevie, determined that their love will regrow despite the hurdles presented by their town and her own hostile, physically abusive mother. Derrick tells Stevie’s story with finesse, the beats well paced and building powerfully. Small-town Pennsylvania is vividly portrayed, the complex emotions Stevie feels for her hometown becoming viscerally relatable.
Heart-rending and heartwarming. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781665902373
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling and exquisitely grotesque showcase of young women taking charge.
Three young women team up to track down a serial killer who’s targeting witches.
Jude Wolf became cursed after a deal with a demon went awry; as a result, she was kicked out of her rich and well-connected family. Zara Jones wants to bring her murdered sister back from the dead so she can make amends. They both need the help of Emer Byrne, a powerful type of witch known as a cursewriter. With a dark past of her own, Emer writes invocations that give women power in exchange for letting a demon have part of their souls, turning them into witches. When the trio of women, who are cued white, realize that the serial killer on the loose in London is specifically going after Emer’s previous clients, they pool their resources. Jude is independently wealthy, Zara has incredible puzzle-solving skills, and Emer brings her witchy prowess: Together they work to fight back and find the killer. Filled with feminist rage and a sprinkle of queer romance, this lushly written tale methodically builds to a heart-pounding confrontation. Each woman is separately introduced, and then Sutherland expertly weaves together their lives in intricate and fascinating ways. The characters’ relationships evolve as the stakes become increasingly dangerous. Although some of the worldbuilding details are waved away, the evocative body horror, distinct and compelling leads, and twisty plot will keep readers immersed in this grisly story.
A thrilling and exquisitely grotesque showcase of young women taking charge. (Paranormal thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2024
ISBN: 9780593532263
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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