A multilayered, if uneven consideration of family, justice, the pressures teens face, and the power of forgiveness.
Violetta wanted a classy night of connection and affection with boyfriend Pascal; instead, the night ends up being one of destruction, despair, and death.
Fifteen-year-old Violetta Chen-Samuels’ decision to drive drunk caused the death of her 7-year-old sister, Vivian. Now she’s incarcerated in a juvenile justice facility, and her family has declined to forgive her, instead requesting that she participate in the Trials, interactive experiences ostensibly designed to teach her the severity of her actions. In chapters told from the alternating perspectives of Violetta and Vincent, her older brother, the circumstances that led up to the night of Vivian’s death are explored, as are Violetta’s experience of incarceration and her realization that forgiving herself may be more important than attaining the forgiveness of others. Central themes include questions of what constitutes justice, the state’s role in achieving it, and the ways that power and privilege corrupt the pursuit of it. Baker’s writing excels at showing rather than telling through vivid details that contribute to pacing that drags in the middle, although the last quarter of the book feels rushed. Violetta and her siblings are Chinese American on their mom’s side, and their dad is Black. Vincent and an aunt are unapologetically queer, as are some other supporting characters.
A multilayered, if uneven consideration of family, justice, the pressures teens face, and the power of forgiveness. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2023
ISBN: 9780593406847
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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