Life imitates art in this latest from the author of several clever teen novels (Herb Seasoning, 1990). High school junior and aspiring author Felicia Gordon discovers that incidents in a short story she's writing are anticipating, loosely but definitely, real events. Having described a character based on her friend Allison being led to a sanctuary for young people, Felicia learns that Allison has in fact moved in with older neighbor Kate Mycroft. Al invites Felicia to join her; on arrival she finds two young men in residence—reclusive, wild-looking David Mycroft, who has scars on his wrists, and rich, hunky classmate Malcolm. The ensuing idyll has a Shakespearean air; David and Al sneak out for midnight skinny-dipping, Malcolm and Felicia make out in a garden maze, and the mystery of who David actually is deepens as he and Kate deliver conflicting stories about his scars. Thompson's intelligent cast, frequent literary references (including some oblique ones to his own books), and witty wordplay (``I kept thinking `terra firma' as we ground ourselves against each other,'' Felicia writes) give the tale an ironic, cerebral tone that's well matched to the plot's comic turns but no preparation for the abrupt climax. The finish Felicia pens (her two main characters chuck the men and depart from Sanctuary with a large, lovable dog) seems truer to the rest of the story. An ambiguous, rather dark comedy. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: May 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-8050-2881-1
Page Count: 202
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1994
Eden’s emotionally raw narration is compelling despite its solipsism. (Fiction. 14-18)
In the three years following Eden’s brutal rape by her brother’s best friend, Kevin, she descends into anger, isolation, and promiscuity.
Eden’s silence about the assault is cemented by both Kevin’s confident assurance that if she tells anyone, “No one will ever believe you. You know that. No one. Not ever,” and a chillingly believable death threat. For the remainder of Eden’s freshman year, she withdraws from her family and becomes increasingly full of hatred for Kevin and the world she feels failed to protect her. But when a friend mentions that she’s “reinventing” herself, Eden embarks on a hopeful plan to do the same. She begins her sophomore year with new clothes and friendly smiles for her fellow students, which attract the romantic attentions of a kind senior athlete. But, bizarrely, Kevin’s younger sister goes on a smear campaign to label Eden a “totally slutty disgusting whore,” which sends Eden back toward self-destruction. Eden narrates in a tightly focused present tense how she withdraws again from nearly everyone and attempts to find comfort (or at least oblivion) through a series of nearly anonymous sexual encounters. This self-centeredness makes her relationships with other characters feel underdeveloped and even puzzling at times. Absent ethnic and cultural markers, Eden and her family and classmates are likely default white.
Eden’s emotionally raw narration is compelling despite its solipsism. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 22, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4935-9
Page Count: 384
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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