Will please fans of the first.
Following The 13th Continuum (2016), Myra and Aero (and friends) journey in search of the First Continuum.
Myra’s and Aero’s groups each landed farther from the First Continuum than they would have hoped, meaning they separately must traverse the barren planet with minimal resources. Myra’s group deals with dwindling supplies; Aero’s faces probes from the villainous Vinick, who wants their continuum’s Beacon back from Aero (and wants Aero dead). Chapters away from the two main protagonists show, along with glimpses of Vinick, a plotline of social upheaval on the 13th Continuum and introduce another point-of-view character, Seeker, from yet another continuum, the Seventh. This other one has fared even worse, suffering a radiation leak that led to a devolved, mutated population of cannibals. Myra and Aero’s dream meetings are impeded by a mysterious, looming darkness, then interrupted by Beacon damage. Though the writing frequently tells instead of showing (often in the form of thesaurus-scented adjectives: one woman has both “coquettish” smiles and “bawdy” laughter, and another’s skirts are described as “maudlin”), the pacing and action are noticeably stepped up in this second outing. The characters eventually join up, establishing a predictable love-triangle storyline, which never rings true. The ending sets up a new villain with unclear motivations.
Will please fans of the first. (Science fiction. 12-17)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68162-258-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Turner
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Breezy, silly, unremarkable fun.
This sequel to The Final Six (2018) raises the stakes for its spacefaring teen astronauts.
Naomi Ardalan and the other Final Six are on their journey to colonize Jupiter’s moon Europa, leading the way for humans to eventually leave a dying Earth. Naomi is the only one in the group who knows that the leaders of the International Space Training Camp are keeping the truth from them, and it is down to her to discover whether there is alien life on Europa before they land. Back on Earth, and unbeknownst to the crew, left-behind recruit Leo Danieli works with genius doctor Greta Wagner to launch a solo mission to intercept and join Naomi’s ship in order to bring them news that not only is there definitely life on Europa, but they are set to land in its most dangerous zone. As the two missions and alternating narratives converge, the unthinkable happens—and everything changes. Fast-paced and plot-driven, the novel decidedly veers into science fiction horror territory with plenty of scares that readers willing to suspend disbelief and embrace the teenagers-in-space setup are likely to enjoy. The syrupy romance between Leo and Naomi continues, and a new layer is added to the story with a frustratingly too-brief examination of colonization and first contact. Naomi is Iranian American, Leo is Italian, and the human cast is international.
Breezy, silly, unremarkable fun. (Science fiction horror. 14-17)Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-265897-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Joan Aiken or Terry Pratchett this ain't, but the lightweight, gleefully anachronistic comedy will entertain with its cast...
Lady Jane Grey's nine days as queen are reimagined as a tongue-in-cheek shape-shifter romance.
Between the reigns of adolescent King Edward VI and his bloodthirsty half sister, Mary I, England was ruled for nine days by doomed Lady Jane, a 16-year-old political pawn—or that's how it went in our world. In the world of this novel, both Edward and Jane have happier endings. Instead of Catholics and Protestants, England is torn between the Eðians, who shape-shift into animals, and the Verities, who loathe them. As in reality, Jane is wed to Gifford (Guildford in history) Dudley, installed as queen, and imprisoned by Mary. However, thisJane and Gifford escape their executions through animal magic. It's inconvenient for the newlyweds' sex life that Gifford spends every dawn to dusk as a horse, but it’s also terribly convenient for frantic escapes from Mary's soldiers. Fourth-wall–breaking and pop-culture references that span from Shakespeare to Game of Thronesshow signs of strain, especially the many references to The Princess Bride(1973). The latter, sometimes layered one atop the other without a break, merely highlight this book’s contrast with the classic's stellar comic timing; perhaps it's for the best that few teen readers will be familiar with either the decades-old film or even older book.
Joan Aiken or Terry Pratchett this ain't, but the lightweight, gleefully anachronistic comedy will entertain with its cast of likable heroes and buffoonish villains (. (Fantasy. 13-17)Pub Date: June 7, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-239174-2
Page Count: 512
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK TO SCREEN
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