A not-always-successful genre-bender that is sure to find a niche.
Debut author Pentecost mixes base notes of dystopia with steampunk and mythic fantasy in Depression-era Oklahoma.
On April 14, 1935, Black Sunday, 6-year-old Sal Wilkerson and her fellow townspeople come face to face with the Dust Soldiers, minions of the goddesses Life and Death, who present a terrifying challenge: They have been unwittingly thrust into the Game and given 10 years to establish an equitable and harmonious society or face annihilation. The community galvanizes behind the enigmatic bruja, Mother Morevna. As the end of the decade nears, Mother Morevna names Sal her Successor, taking her on as an apprentice in the magical arts. Meanwhile, a mysterious stranger with unexplained knowledge of the Game arrives at the gates of Elysium. Sal must use her skills to discover the truth and reveal secrets hidden by her mentor, the stranger, and the marginalized victims who fight for survival beyond Elysium’s walls in order to win the Game. In this matriarchal society where young women are gifted with magical ability, race becomes a major source of conflict. Though the book tackles themes of intersectional feminism and what it means to build a more just world, big reveals and climactic moments often feel perfunctory and rushed, leading at times to awkward pacing. Sal is white; her best friend is black; the supporting cast includes Mexican American and Native characters; and there is a same-sex romance.
A not-always-successful genre-bender that is sure to find a niche. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-368-04186-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion/LBYR
Review Posted Online: Jan. 6, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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