An intriguing but slow-moving novel of paranormal mystery.
In Boglisch’s YA novel, a teen tries to figure out why he’s seeing what appear to be ghosts.
The novel is set in a future in which technology has supposedly advanced enough that there are no more fatal illnesses, and crime of all kinds has been eradicated. However, Kieran still gets terrible headaches, and afterward, he sees strange, silent, all-white figures that no one else seems to notice. His parents are aware of this odd ability, but for some reason, they tell him not to go to the hospital or to tell other people about it. Nevertheless, Kieran’s good friends Felix and Mira know about it, and they find it absolutely fascinating. Mira wants nothing more than to be able to see ghosts, as Kieran apparently does. Kieran, however, only wishes that he were normal—even more so now that the headaches are getting worse. Then he learns that the strange white figures are able to grab him—and hurt him. When he and Mira explore an allegedly haunted house trying to find some answers to their questions about the figures, Kieran sees one of them holding knives, and Mira ends up getting cut. Weirdly enough, another figure recently handed him a piece of paper with a single word scrawled on it: “Danger.” Although Mira and Felix keep calling them ghosts, Kieran isn’t so sure. There’s definitely something odd going on, and the people in authority may know more than they’re letting on. Boglisch provides readers with a slow-burning novel that still features some chills and thrills. The gradual reveal of the figures, their purpose, and even the world in which the characters live requires some patience on readers’ part, but there’s enough intrigue and mystery along the way to keep them engaged. The story takes place after an unspecified global pandemic, but the circumstances surrounding it are rather vague, leaving the book with a somewhat sketchy sense of place and time. However, the friends clearly care about one another and about helping Kieran solve the mystery, and their interactions give the novel focus and a sense of forward momentum.
An intriguing but slow-moving novel of paranormal mystery.Pub Date: April 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-62420-612-2
Page Count: 334
Publisher: Rogue Phoenix Press
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Wrought with admirable skill—the emptiness and menace underlying this Utopia emerge step by inexorable step: a richly...
In a radical departure from her realistic fiction and comic chronicles of Anastasia, Lowry creates a chilling, tightly controlled future society where all controversy, pain, and choice have been expunged, each childhood year has its privileges and responsibilities, and family members are selected for compatibility.
As Jonas approaches the "Ceremony of Twelve," he wonders what his adult "Assignment" will be. Father, a "Nurturer," cares for "newchildren"; Mother works in the "Department of Justice"; but Jonas's admitted talents suggest no particular calling. In the event, he is named "Receiver," to replace an Elder with a unique function: holding the community's memories—painful, troubling, or prone to lead (like love) to disorder; the Elder ("The Giver") now begins to transfer these memories to Jonas. The process is deeply disturbing; for the first time, Jonas learns about ordinary things like color, the sun, snow, and mountains, as well as love, war, and death: the ceremony known as "release" is revealed to be murder. Horrified, Jonas plots escape to "Elsewhere," a step he believes will return the memories to all the people, but his timing is upset by a decision to release a newchild he has come to love. Ill-equipped, Jonas sets out with the baby on a desperate journey whose enigmatic conclusion resonates with allegory: Jonas may be a Christ figure, but the contrasts here with Christian symbols are also intriguing.
Wrought with admirable skill—the emptiness and menace underlying this Utopia emerge step by inexorable step: a richly provocative novel. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: April 1, 1993
ISBN: 978-0-395-64566-6
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1993
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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