by Jennifer Bardsley ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 14, 2016
Inadequate worldbuilding and uneven characterization make for a read that's as blank as its protagonist.
Vestal Blanca is a beautiful, 18-year-old orphan who has been raised and educated digitally pure at the Tabula Rasa School, which was founded after the great Brain Cancer Epidemic, caused by cellphones, wreaked havoc on the tech-addicted populace.
Upon graduating, Vestals are “harvested”—purchased via auction—by corporations to be shills, or they enter into contracts with private individuals as Geishas. The white teen is purchased by Calum McNeal, a private individual who has selfish motives for wanting her—just not the ones everyone imagines. Cal and his son soon realize just how deeply Vestal training is embedded in Blanca and how harmful it is. As Blanca tries to prove that she is an exemplary Vestal, her life starts to unravel in a way that shows her that maybe thinking for herself is the only true solution. The story struggles to fulfill its high-concept premise. Character motivations often feel arbitrary, morphing to suit the plot. In particular, justifications for Blanca’s actions or inaction in some scenes contradict the mantras and life philosophies that she claims to live by and that drive her actions in others. Vestals lack agency and autonomy, and the sexual undercurrent suggested in the Geisha route that Blanca is forced to take is both creepy and insufficiently interrogated, at least in this series introduction. The romance elements fall short with an insta-love that is simply not believable.
Inadequate worldbuilding and uneven characterization make for a read that's as blank as its protagonist. (Dystopian romance. 14-18)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-944816-75-9
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Month9Books
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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More by Laura Nowlin
BOOK REVIEW
by Laura Nowlin
by Lauren Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023
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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