Oh, the humanity.
Power, love and vengeance come together in this consistently over-the-top conclusion to the Starcrossed trilogy.
Nantucket teen Helen Hamilton is a direct descendent of Helen of Troy, and she’s as entangled as her ancestor was in wars between gods and men. Helen is a Scion, one of an ancient family descended from the Greek gods and cursed to re-enact the old hatreds throughout the ages. Her erstwhile lover Lucas is himself the reincarnation of the first Helen’s lover, Paris. Along with the other Scions—most of whom are confusingly similar to multiple other characters and have seemingly random Classical names, such as Orion, who looks exactly like his uncle Adonis and is Aeneas reborn—Helen must keep the Greek gods from destroying the Earth. With monster-filled battles and the Earth at stake, the plot has no need for the ludicrous forces creating unresolvable sexual tension between Helen and Lucas. Their love has been destined for eons, leaving them without the free will to feel as strongly about others. Helen and Lucas are first cousins, and Scion close relatives always have insane children. They can’t choose to be childless because of another ancient curse which will damn the human race if Helen doesn’t have a baby. Cinematic battle scenes are punctuated with a presumably unintentionally hilarious fireworks-backed kiss and culminate in an overly expository epilogue.
Oh, the humanity. (Paranormal romance. 14-16)Pub Date: May 28, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-201203-6
Page Count: 432
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
The setting is well-captured, but it’s slow going in this sci-fi adventure.
In a militaristic future Korea, a boy and girl meet.
It is 2199, and Korea, China, and Japan no longer exist as separate countries but as members of the Neo Council (conveyed to readers in infodumps). Five decades of war have yielded many innovations, such as the God Machines (riffing on the tradition of Japanese mecha movies and Pacific Rim). Preparing to take his military placement exam before graduation from an elite academy, Jaewon is isolated: his father is dead, his mother abandoned him, and his former best friend has turned his back on Jaewon to gain power in one of the Old Seoul gangs. Jaewon’s military posting is to the Tower, the kilometer-tall building in Neo Seoul that serves as headquarters, where he is assigned to supervise Tera, a girl whose strength has been enhanced with drugs in order to pilot a new kind of God Machine. With war still raging and rebel nationalists seeking to make Korea an independent nation again, will two young people be able to find love in this plot-heavy story? While Jaewon is an effective character, much of the supporting cast is relatively flat and the dialogue occasionally stilted, which jars against the mostly colloquial flow.
The setting is well-captured, but it’s slow going in this sci-fi adventure. (glossary) (Science fiction. 14-16)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62014-299-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Tu Books
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
Engrossing for fans of high school drama.
It’s Cleo’s birthday, and someone has arranged a scavenger hunt for her—but it turns out that Cleo is the one being hunted.
The first clue appears in Cleo’s bathroom while she is showering, immediately ratcheting up the creepiness factor. Cleo can’t guess who snuck in; her brother and her friends deny being the culprit. And all of the clues are leading Cleo to revisit key private moments she shared with her former boyfriend Declan, who drowned under shadowy circumstances during a river rafting trip on her last birthday. It is slowly revealed that there was more to their relationship and the events of that fateful day on the river. Tensions climb as the clues turn into threats against Cleo and her brother. The clock is ticking. Did someone witness what happened on the day Declan drowned? Is it possible that Declan himself is orchestrating the hunt? After all, his body was never found. Red herrings abound, and troubling memories have Cleo realistically waffling between strength and self-doubt, but secondary characters are not as well developed. Readers invested in the relationship drama will devour the chaotic, action-packed climax, while serious mystery fans may find that the culprit’s motives stretch belief. Cleo and most other significant characters are White; brown-skinned, biracial Connor has a different father from Cleo.
Engrossing for fans of high school drama. (Mystery. 14-16)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72821-578-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
© Copyright 2025 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.
