by Karen Mahoney ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 8, 2013
"And then there's Demian. He may be a demon—the king of the demons—but at least he's true to his nature." Donna Underwood's final journal entry indicates a sneaking respect for the enemy she faces in the exciting finish of the Iron Witch trilogy.
Donna starts out in London. She doesn't stay there long: The Demon King is on the move to remake the universe, and it's her job to stop him by questing for the ingredients needed to produce the Philosopher's Stone. Donna, her wisenheimer friend Navin and the half-fey Xan stand out as three-dimensional characters; others mostly exist to advance the complicated plot. Straight-talking Donna is largely on her own for this adventure, with Xan and comic-relief Navin working more or less together as a support team. In a poignant subplot, would-be boyfriend Xan pursues magic that will restore his partially remembered ability to fly. Nonstop action, cliffhangers and constantly building tension will keep readers engaged in the story. The climax is rousing, and the resolution, while bittersweet, will satisfy fans of the series. Well-integrated back story should enable readers new to the series to enjoy the story, but they would be better off beginning with the first book. This engrossing series conclusion does justice to its kick-ass heroine, her funny sidekick and a vulnerable romantic interest. (Urban fantasy. 13-16)
Pub Date: April 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7387-3340-1
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
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by Kristy Acevedo ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 6, 2023
A glossy repackaging of a jejune tale.
A reissue of the 2016 novel published as Consider.
Alexandra Lucas and her boyfriend, Dominick, are about to start their senior year of high school when 500 vertexes—each one a doorway-shaped “hole into the fabric of the universe”—appear across the world, accompanied by holographic messages communicating news of Earth’s impending doom. The only escape is a one-way trip through the portals to a parallel future Earth. As people leave through the vertexes and the extinction event draws nearer, the world becomes increasingly unfamiliar. A lot has changed in the past several years, including expectations of mental health depictions in young adult literature; Alex’s struggle with anxiety and reliance on Ativan, which she calls her “little white savior” while initially discounting therapy as an intervention, make for a trite after-school special–level treatment of a complex situation; a short stint of effective therapy does finally occur but is so limited in duration that it contributes to the oversimplification of the topic. Alex also has unresolved issues with her Gulf War veteran father (who possibly grapples with PTSD). The slow pace of the plot as it depicts a crumbling society, along with stilted writing and insubstantial secondary characterization, limits the appeal of such a small-scale, personal story. Characters are minimally described and largely racially ambiguous; Alex has golden skin and curly brown hair.
A glossy repackaging of a jejune tale. (Science fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-72826-839-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
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More In The Series
by Cassandra Clare ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 6, 2011
A purple page turner.
This sequel to Clockwork Angel (2010) pits gorgeous, attractively broken teens against a menacing evil.
There's betrayal, mayhem and clockwork monstrosities, and the Shadowhunters have only two weeks to discover—oh, who are we kidding? The plot is only surprisingly tasty icing on this cupcake of a melodramatic love triangle. Our heroes are Tessa, who may or may not be a warlock, and the beautiful Shadowhunter warrior boys who are moths to her forbidden flame. It's not always clear why Tessa prefers Will to his beloved (and only) friend Jem, the dying, silver-eyed, biracial sweetheart with the face of an angel. Jem, after all, is gentle and kind, her dearest confidante; Will is unpleasant to everyone around him. But poor, wretched Will—who "would have been pretty if he had not been so tall and so muscular"—has a deep, dark, thoroughly emo secret. His trauma puts all previous romantic difficulties to shame, from the Capulet/Montague feud all the way to Edward Cullen's desire to chomp on Bella Swan. Somehow there's room for an interesting steampunk mystery amid all this angst. The supporting characters (unusually well-developed for a love-triangle romance) include multiple compelling young women who show strength in myriad ways. So what if there are anachronisms, character inconsistencies and weird tonal slips? There's too much overwrought fun to care.
A purple page turner. (Fantasy. 13-16)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4169-7588-5
Page Count: 528
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2011
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