Can love exist in a digital age? It’s 2060, and American teens are educated at home via DS—digital school. Few venture outside their comfortable virtual worlds, but 17-year-old Maddie leads a life even more confined than most. She’s been grounded for years—punishment for serious digital misbehavior—and despite a sympathetic mom, her dad, architect of the DS system, won’t let Maddie off the hook yet. Then, at a face-to-face tutoring session, she meets her digital-study–buddy Justin, who introduces her to a new world, the three-dimensional one. Thoroughly smitten, Maddie allows Justin and his cohorts to draw her into their conspiracy to end DS for good. The futuristic and political trappings make little sense (DS was instituted to end violence in American schools, including mass killings of elementary schoolchildren by terrorists aiming to curb overpopulation). However, as the title hints, this debut’s true subject is romantic awakening. Before readers can succumb to disbelief, the narrative shifts to Maddie’s dawning attraction to Justin and the natural world he represents, following her sensual voyage of discovery and exploration of first love’s frustrations and joys. Among the pleasures of this high-tech fairy tale are Maddie’s initiative, courage and independent spirit, stoutly risking rejection in pursuit of her heart’s desire. (Science fiction/romance. 12 & up)
Pub Date: May 23, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-37148-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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