A wickedly funny examination of what it means to choose your own destiny.
A teenage outcast discovers he is the key to the world’s undoing.
James Salley is a white teen without any support system. Something about James has always rubbed people the wrong way. He’s ignored by his endlessly busy parents, and the only person at school who pays him any attention is a bully. Then the new school librarian shows an interest in James, taking him under his wing and informing him of his true destiny. It turns out James is the Antichrist, the chosen one who will begin the War to end all wars. James’ world is soon turned upside down, with murderous zealots tracking him down and mythical creatures coming to his aid, and to top it all off, James’ crush is finally starting to pay attention to him. Jordan seamlessly weaves the high-concept weirdness with typical teen tropes and smartly fleshes out all of his characters with interior lives, making them leap off the pages and into readers’ imaginations and hearts. As James waffles between his conflicting desires to just be a regular kid and to make all who made him miserable pay, readers will probably be able to figure out what choice he will eventually make, but a last-minute twist on James’ dilemma is the cherry on top of this absurdly funny and affecting novel.
A wickedly funny examination of what it means to choose your own destiny. (Fantasy. 14-17)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-94254-630-6
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Medallion Press
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2016
Full of drama, emotional turmoil, and high stakes.
What happens to the world after the dust from a revolution has settled?
Friends Annie and Lee were children from very different circles when Atreus killed Lee’s father, dragonlord Leon Stormscourge, ending the uprising on the bloodiest day in Callipolis’ history. For too long the dragonriders held all the power while their people starved and lived in fear. Nine years later, a new generation of dragonriders is emerging, children selected and trained on merit, not bloodlines. Their dragons are finally mature enough for them to compete for Firstrider, a position of power that can give Lee back a small part of what his family lost. However, not only is Lee competing against Annie, but rumors are circulating that some of the royal family have survived and have dragons of their own. Everyone will have to make a choice: Restore the old regime, support the First Protector and the new caste system he created, or look for a new way, no matter what the cost. From the beginning, this book pulls readers in with political intrigue and action. What keeps them invested, however, are the complex relationships between many cast members. Choices are complex, and the consequences for all could be deadly. The world is well fleshed out and believable. Annie and Lee are light skinned; secondary characters are diverse, and race is a nonissue in this world.
Full of drama, emotional turmoil, and high stakes. (author’s note) (Fantasy.14-17)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-51821-1
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
Several yards short of a touchdown.
A transgender boy starting over at a new school falls hard for a popular cheerleader with a reputation to protect in this debut.
On the first day of senior year, transgender boy Pony locks eyes with cisgender cheerleader Georgia. They both have pasts they want to leave behind. No one at Hillcrest High knows that Pony is transgender, and he intends to keep it that way. Georgia’s last boyfriend shook her trust in boys, and now she’s determined to forget him. As mutual attraction draws them together, Pony and Georgia must decide what they are willing to risk for a relationship. Pony’s best friend, Max, who is also transgender, disapproves of Pony’s choice to live stealth; this disagreement leads to serious conflict in their relationship. Meanwhile, Georgia and Pony behave as if Pony’s trans identity was a secret he was lying to her about rather than private information for him to share of his own volition. The characters only arrive at a hopeful resolution after Pony pays high physical and emotional prices. McSmith places repeated emphasis on the born-in-the-wrong-body narrative when the characters discuss trans identities. Whiteness is situated as the norm, and all main characters are white.
Several yards short of a touchdown. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-294317-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
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