Magic is found through personal growth and accepting love in this enchanting tale.
The “least witchy person in Salem” finds herself in the unlikely position of joining a coven and pursuing a new romance.
Nearly a year ago, Eleanor lost Chloe, the girl she loved, and became a pariah. Now, she spends her time working at the Salem Gift Emporium and numbing her emotions by smoking pot. The day Eleanor meets a cute girl called Pixie, a unique package arrives at the shop with a handmade tarot guide. The Fool card, which opens the book, signifies a new beginning; Eleanor’s story continues along the path of the major arcana, with conversational explanations of the cards between chapters. The narrative smoothly shifts between Eleanor’s blossoming romance with Pix and, through flashbacks, a gradual reveal of Eleanor’s toxic relationship with Chloe. Pix is part of a coven, and together the witches participate in ceremonial activities and pagan celebrations (the story stays firmly rooted in realism). Scelsa’s sophomore novel excels at portraying realistic teens who have big emotions and sometimes make frustrating choices. It doesn’t shy away from the cruelty some are capable of, but the overall tone is hopeful. Supportive relationships are showcased, such as Eleanor’s with her mom, who has chronic pain from Lyme disease. The Salem setting is richly depicted, and the story thoughtfully grapples with consumer culture. Eleanor, Chloe, and Pix are White; secondary characters are racially diverse.
Magic is found through personal growth and accepting love in this enchanting tale. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-246503-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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