by K.E. Payne ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 16, 2013
There are too few lesbian love stories written for teens; it’s a shame this one is so lackluster.
In a cliché-ridden lesbian romance, two young British actresses develop an off-screen relationship.
Holly Croft, now 20, has played a role in the evening soap opera Portobello Road since age 12. Now, Holly’s character, Jasmine, is—in the book’s British parlance—at university, and the show’s producers have decided to introduce Jasmine to Casey, a female love interest. It’s a well-known trope for two characters destined for romance to first get along poorly, but the dialogue and description in the first argument between Holly and her new co-star Elise are so awkwardly constructed that Elise’s brusqueness and Holly’s resulting anger both feel forced. Once the pair become romantically involved, their expressions of mutual adoration are similarly ineffective, and some of their interactions (Elise tells Holly, “You’re kinda sweet when you’re angry”; Holly insists Elise liked an unwanted kiss) come across as profoundly disrespectful. While there may be some truth to Elise’s fear that being out as a lesbian would jeopardize her career, the public universally seems to adore the Jasmine-Casey relationship, and the book never adequately discusses that contrast.
There are too few lesbian love stories written for teens; it’s a shame this one is so lackluster. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: July 16, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-60282-887-2
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
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by K.E. Payne
by Neal Shusterman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 29, 2016
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
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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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by Amber Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2016
Eden’s emotionally raw narration is compelling despite its solipsism. (Fiction. 14-18)
In the three years following Eden’s brutal rape by her brother’s best friend, Kevin, she descends into anger, isolation, and promiscuity.
Eden’s silence about the assault is cemented by both Kevin’s confident assurance that if she tells anyone, “No one will ever believe you. You know that. No one. Not ever,” and a chillingly believable death threat. For the remainder of Eden’s freshman year, she withdraws from her family and becomes increasingly full of hatred for Kevin and the world she feels failed to protect her. But when a friend mentions that she’s “reinventing” herself, Eden embarks on a hopeful plan to do the same. She begins her sophomore year with new clothes and friendly smiles for her fellow students, which attract the romantic attentions of a kind senior athlete. But, bizarrely, Kevin’s younger sister goes on a smear campaign to label Eden a “totally slutty disgusting whore,” which sends Eden back toward self-destruction. Eden narrates in a tightly focused present tense how she withdraws again from nearly everyone and attempts to find comfort (or at least oblivion) through a series of nearly anonymous sexual encounters. This self-centeredness makes her relationships with other characters feel underdeveloped and even puzzling at times. Absent ethnic and cultural markers, Eden and her family and classmates are likely default white.
Eden’s emotionally raw narration is compelling despite its solipsism. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 22, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4935-9
Page Count: 384
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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