Superficial and clunky.
This conclusion to the Hunted duet (Indigo Awakening, 2013) takes readers ever deeper into the workings of the paranormal abilities of the various Indigo children.
Indigo children are an evolved strain of humanity endowed with strong psychic abilities, different for each individual. A few, such as Gabriel, have evolved even further into Crystal children, with gifts of enormous power. The hated Church of Spiritual Freedom, headed by Gabriel’s estranged father, seeks to eradicate the Indigo children. Although most of the children escaped from the streets of Los Angeles to the estate of Gabriel’s wealthy maternal uncle in the previous book, the Church manages to capture Oliver and Caila. The completely evil Dr. Fiona goes outside even the rules of the Church in brutally experimenting on the captives in the infamous Ward 8 of her mental hospital. Oliver and Caila struggle to resist, even as Gabriel and the free Indigo children plan an attack on the facility to rescue their friend Rafe, the most recent captive. While Dane works to create suspense, she spends far too much time explaining how various psychic powers work, what characters feel and why, and why they take various actions. Characterization is one-dimensional, but at least some fizz is provided by such secondary characters as Hellboy, Gabriel’s ghost dog, and his “life-challenged” ghost butler, Frederick.
Superficial and clunky. (Paranormal thriller. 12 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-373-21093-0
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
A beautiful, magic-infused love story that doesn’t shy away from harsh realities.
Two Japanese American 17-year-olds find one another in an internment camp as they try to piece their lives back together.
It’s 1942. Ren Hamada has a bad reputation, but he works to help support his alcoholic mother and unwed pregnant sister. The only thing his absent father has ever given him is a small wooden carving of a sacred fox. Violet Aratani has loving parents who own a print shop, and she dreams of studying art in college next year. Then her father is arrested by the FBI, accused of being a community organizer. Before he’s taken away, Otōsan slips Violet an old family heirloom—a small figurine of a deer from Nara. With World War II raging on, the two families are taken to the Manzanar relocation center in the California desert, where the magical relics draw Ren and Violet together. The magic also helps them see the fallen god who lives among them—and who could destroy them all. Freeing him would earn them divine favor, but they struggle amid rising tensions and the camp’s inadequate living conditions. Informed by the author’s family’s experiences, this is a fascinating blend of history, romance, and Japanese mythology. Krause accurately depicts the injustices and hardships experienced by Japanese Americans. Despite some heavy, bleak themes, the story captures the ways people sought joy, love, and happiness even in harsh circumstances.
A beautiful, magic-infused love story that doesn’t shy away from harsh realities. (map, author’s note, photos, discussion questions) (Historical fantasy romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9798217027668
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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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