A beautifully written, grief-filled tale that’s equal parts creepy and heart-wrenching.
Women in Soojin Han’s family can raise the dead.
Korean American Soojin and her sister, Mirae, have typically used their powers to revive roadkill or (on multiple occasions) their family’s beloved pet rat; their mother warned her young daughters against raising humans, citing a tragic example from an ancestor who broke the rules. Seven years ago, Soojin and Mirae’s mother was killed in a car crash, and their bereaved father was emotionally unequipped to handle 10-year-old Soojin and 11-year-old Mirae, leaving parentified Mirae to take care of her sister. But now that Mirae has suddenly died as well in a drowning accident, Soojin decides bringing her back is worth the risk. Soojin is too thrilled to be reunited with her sister to notice the disturbing hints that something isn’t quite right, from the mildewy rot Mirae leaves in her wake to the dark bruises appearing on Soojin’s own skin and the mysterious attacks on some of the town’s powerful residents. In her debut novel, Yun uses foreshadowing and alternating third-person limited perspectives to great effect, slowly unfolding mysteries from Soojin’s mother’s past through poetic, descriptive prose that never feels overwrought. The girls live in the predominantly white coastal tourist town of Jade Acre, which evokes Northern California. Korean language, food, and culture enrich this winning story of sisterhood, self-reflection, and moving on.
A beautifully written, grief-filled tale that’s equal parts creepy and heart-wrenching. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593904879
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
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
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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