The implausible romance takes away from the strongest aspect of Bond's novel: Brigitta's search for something bigger than...
This novel about the search for "the Great Cosmic Mystery" has too many plot elements and coincidences to throw light on the subject.
Brigitta Schopenhauer is high-minded but secretly reads tabloids and writes a blog about celebrities finding faith. When her best friend Natalie spots a lookalike for bad-boy teen actor Trent Yves, Brigitta dismisses her. After all, it's not really Trent Yves, but a boy named Luke Geoffrey. She's more occupied with mourning her deceased grandparents and adjusting to the recent changes in her father's behavior, as revealed by awkward flashbacks. An unnecessary and overdramatic plot twist features a cougar that nearly attacks Luke until Brigitta chases it away; when it is shot, it leaves behind two kittens. Luke and Brigitta grow closer as they care for the kittens, culminating in an overnight road trip on which Luke kisses Brigitta. The road trip is a tipping point for more than just Luke and Brigitta's relationship. The rest of the novel unravels into a string of clichés and impulsive acts by the immature Brigitta.
The implausible romance takes away from the strongest aspect of Bond's novel: Brigitta's search for something bigger than herself. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4022-6504-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
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
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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