A serious tale of attempting reinvention at the cost of rending reality.
An exploration of the multiverse and mourning.
Sixteen-year-old Winnie Schulde knows that her life could be different, for she can see splinters, or divergences from her current timeline. Winnie is able to see what could happen, and wonders if she could change what did happen, since her curse manifested upon—or maybe caused—her mother’s death 8 years ago. Exploited and experimented upon by her abrasive, emotionally abusive father and afraid to confide in her only friend, rich girl Dora, or her dad’s handsome lab assistant, Scott, Winnie worries that her powers could be misused or misunderstood. Being a German immigrant amid the tensions of World War II and openly interested in science and especially physics, Winnie fears attracting unwanted scrutiny. Soon, she’s swept up in a mystery, entangled in the not-so-secret Manhattan Project, and confronted with the existence of another universe. Given the chance to be popular, pretty, and loved, Winnie must decide if her happiness is worth world-shaking, physics-bending side effects. Lacking the levity that often accompanies time-travel tales and heavy on the theoretical science and historical stakes, Winnie’s story grapples with deep personal and philosophical dilemmas. Interpersonal dynamics prove just as explosive as interdimensional ones in Norris’ debut novel. All characters read as White.
A serious tale of attempting reinvention at the cost of rending reality. (Science fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 8, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-20303-3
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
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
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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