A focused debut that’s as funny as it is violent.
A high school junior discovers her werewolf heritage in this teen fantasy debut.
Sixteen-year-old Kyra lives in Butte, Montana, with her adoptive father, Caleb. One strange aspect of their relationship is that Caleb and Kyra can communicate telepathically. The other is that she doesn’t remember her life before he took her in six years ago—nor the accident that broke her right leg, making it shorter than the left. For junior year, Kyra’s given herself a startling punk makeover to offset the awkwardness of her leg brace. But high school bullies, led by Selene Hunter, still make her life hell: on the bus ride to school, while the two girls are shoving each other, Kyra’s locket snaps from her neck. She scoops up the gift from Caleb but has to exit the bus because her skin is blistering. Then, in the nearby woods, Kyra transforms into a giant wolf. Later, Caleb explains that the locket contains wolfsbane, to halt the transformations and keep her hidden, because there are those who would hunt Kyra for her regenerative abilities. Memories of her first 10 years as a wolf have already started returning, however, in addition to incredible hearing and smelling capabilities. Can Kyra stay ahead of the hunters long enough to sniff out her mother and sister? Debut author Kennedy dives into the crowded genre with a juicy, humorous yet violent offering. Clever prose—as when Kyra doesn’t want “to be somebody the bullies could pick their teeth with”—maintains the high school atmosphere while foreshadowing gory action. The transformation scenes are perfectly reminiscent of legendary films such as An American Werewolf in London: Kyra says, “The skin on my face stretched to its limits and then cracked open.” Surprisingly, Kyra’s tale wraps up early and is followed by a second starring her sister in a fresh series of locations. Kennedy entwines the stories by using far-reaching villains, including the werewolves’ rivals, the Wind Folk. Ultimately, the tight focus on lore-building (such as wolf superhealing, unless injured by another wolf) should ensnare audiences.
A focused debut that’s as funny as it is violent.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1505338423
Page Count: 428
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2015
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
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
