A brisk tale that will even entertain readers who aren’t football fans.
In Blossom’s YA SF novel, a young athlete is on a mission to get back on the field—even if it means using robotics.
It’s 2055, and teenager Dudley “Dude” McPherson Jr. loves playing football, but his father, Dudley Sr.—who works for giant tech company Circle Corporation—hates the game. In a world where most people are plugged into virtual reality, Dude’s dad thinks football is outdated and too violent. Still, Dude’s dad comes to see him play his final game of the season, during which the teen is seriously injured and rushed by helicar to a medical center, where he requires weeks of recuperation. Then his father puts together a school trustee committee that bans football and other non-virtual sports. When Dude finally starts high school, he’s unpopular, and his dad makes him attend the school’s Tech Lab as an extracurricular. There, he befriends Tomly Newton, Allison Albright, and Adam Angelou. Everything about the lab is new to Dude; their supervisor of sorts is an AI called “Master.” However, he’s surprised to find that the tech allows him a way to channel his anger into art. Adam soon suggests creating football-playing robots: “It would be like a bot battle on a massive scale. It would be epic!” Initially, Dude’s against it, but his father talks him into it, and the project starts to look promising as the team hashes it out. Will their idea catch on? Over the course of the novel, Blossom delivers a breezy story that flies by, and it features a likable core of main characters. Dude reads a bit younger than the supporting players, but they’re charming throughout. Although the plot isn’t especially complex, its easy-to-follow quality makes for a good quick read; as such, the novel would likely be a fine suggestion for reluctant young readers. The futuristic, high-tech setting is developed well, with many details woven throughout the text. Readers who aren’t well-versed in the SF milieu won’t find it difficult to become engaged with the story.
A brisk tale that will even entertain readers who aren’t football fans.Pub Date: July 9, 2023
ISBN: 979-8395486493
Page Count: 316
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
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