Esme may be witty, but when it comes to fulfilling her destiny, Buffy she is not.
A fashion-minded babysitter in small-town Kansas discovers her magical powers and the responsibility that comes with them.
Seventeen-year-old Esme Pearl can’t explain the strange things happening to her until the new girl, Cassandra Heaven, reveals to Esme that they both have powers. The girls bumble their way through beginning spellcasting until Brian, the school football coach, explains that they are Sitters: girls (typically babysitters) predestined to protect humanity from interdimensional monsters. Brian is their mentor, or Counsel. The characters themselves draw the obvious comparison to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (“So basically, we’re like Slayers, and you’re our Watcher”), but despite basic worldbuilding parallels, the novel misses the mark if it’s attempting to fill the cult classic’s large shoes. The tongue-in-cheek humor never manages to find a balance with the purportedly high-stakes plot. To debut novelist Williams’ credit, much of the humor lands; her unusual descriptions delight (Esme’s hands shake “like cold Chihuahuas,” while “nice” is “the chicken Caesar wrap of compliments”), as do Esme’s and her best friend Janis’ daily wardrobe inspirations. However, the explanation behind Esme’s powers comes late, and even as the conflict heightens, readers will struggle to buy in. Many secondary characters feel hollow, including Esme’s crush (Cassandra’s brother, Dion). Esme is presumably white, Cassandra identifies as Mexican, and Janis and Brian are black.
Esme may be witty, but when it comes to fulfilling her destiny, Buffy she is not. (Fantasy. 13-17)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-70737-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Full of drama, emotional turmoil, and high stakes.
What happens to the world after the dust from a revolution has settled?
Friends Annie and Lee were children from very different circles when Atreus killed Lee’s father, dragonlord Leon Stormscourge, ending the uprising on the bloodiest day in Callipolis’ history. For too long the dragonriders held all the power while their people starved and lived in fear. Nine years later, a new generation of dragonriders is emerging, children selected and trained on merit, not bloodlines. Their dragons are finally mature enough for them to compete for Firstrider, a position of power that can give Lee back a small part of what his family lost. However, not only is Lee competing against Annie, but rumors are circulating that some of the royal family have survived and have dragons of their own. Everyone will have to make a choice: Restore the old regime, support the First Protector and the new caste system he created, or look for a new way, no matter what the cost. From the beginning, this book pulls readers in with political intrigue and action. What keeps them invested, however, are the complex relationships between many cast members. Choices are complex, and the consequences for all could be deadly. The world is well fleshed out and believable. Annie and Lee are light skinned; secondary characters are diverse, and race is a nonissue in this world.
Full of drama, emotional turmoil, and high stakes. (author’s note) (Fantasy.14-17)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-51821-1
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 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.
bookshelf
