An infelicitous tale of witchcraft.
Strange animals and mysterious murders force the town of Greenville to confront its demons in Augustyn’s debut novel.
A star turn in her high school talent show seems to transform Felicia Miller’s life. But not long after the applause has died, she finds herself at Devil’s Point, at the mercy of five boys in masks and black robes, who take their turns raping her and leave her unconscious in the woods. Saved by the local witch, Granny Dola, Felicia becomes a “werecat,” with the ability to shape-shift into various felines. She transitions from a Maine coon to a saber-toothed tiger and avenges herself on the gang of five, led by “delinquent demigod” Wally Sutter. But big-cat sightings and dead teenagers become more than Councilwoman Mandee Madisson and her cronies at the Concrete Development Corporation can stand. With the same focus she utilizes to slash arts funding in schools, Mandee tries to snuff out the increasing “animal human conflict,” which puts Felicia and her friends in further danger. Augustyn’s action scenes are strong, full of guts and gore and, eventually, guns. Like Felicia, though, the book suffers an identity crisis. The narrator alternates between rapid-fire scenes reminiscent of slasher movies and a saccharine, “The show must go on!” sensibility—or, in this case, “The Halloween show will go on as planned.” The first 20 pages could easily be taken for YA fiction, but the gang rape of the title character sends the book careening into NC-17 territory. When the attack first occurs, it’s described in flashes of quick, oddly eroticized images. As it plays out in Felicia’s memory, the brutal event and its aftermath are hard to believe. When, after the crime, she has an intimate moment with her dream boy, she thinks, “It sucks that those bastards did this to me.” The narrator writes, “she was reeling from an olfactory gangbang,” to describe the blossoming of her heightened, catlike sense of smell. Such an insensitive metaphor may alienate some readers.
An infelicitous tale of witchcraft.Pub Date: July 15, 2012
ISBN: 978-0615667560
Page Count: 360
Publisher: WildCat Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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