A sly, insightful close-up of risk-taking’s seductive, addictive appeal.
An Oklahoma teen turns her poker prowess into a source of income then finds it exacts a price.
Chelsea, a small child when her mother left, lives with her amiably negligent father, whose job doesn’t cover expenses. Chelsea negotiates payment with creditors, shops at Goodwill, and searches available (minimum-wage) jobs, while oblivious classmates brandish designer accessories. Her best friend lends her money, but Chelsea’s tired of being the needy one. Desperation sends her to a Cherokee Nation casino, where she uses a fake name and, passing for 18, staves off insolvency playing poker. Soon she’s a regular. Gambling exhilaration energizes her—likewise Nate, the hot casino employee who asks her out. Winning funds a major shopping spree; losing means pawning her father’s gun. Lying further fuels the adrenaline rush. Keeping her identities separate is complicated; avoiding exposure demands lies to cover lies. Outside the casino, her world seems drab to readers and to Chelsea herself. Too little’s at stake—which is precisely the point. Only at the poker table, where players read one another, lay bets, and risk what they can’t afford to lose, do they feel fully alive, and it’s their closely observed sessions that bring the novel to suspenseful life. The way Chelsea objectifies her fellow players (Red Head Lady, Cute Mafia Guy, Asian guy) makes it clear that both Chelsea and the novel’s default are white.
A sly, insightful close-up of risk-taking’s seductive, addictive appeal. (Fiction.14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-944995-05-8
Page Count: 250
Publisher: Amberjack Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2016
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy.
A war between gods plays havoc with mortals and their everyday lives.
In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85743-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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