A bewitching story with a charming cast and an enchanting sea setting.
In Abernathy’s YA fantasy sequel, teens tackle personal and environmental issues in a tale that brings the mysterious, magical nature of the ocean to life.
In the beach town of Craggy Point, 15-year-old Condi Bloom is getting ready to participate in a major surfing competition. Meanwhile, her foster brother, Firth Cristo, is attempting to deal with past secrets on his own, and a biomedical ship just offshore is plundering the ocean. Condi and Firth must learn to trust each other again and work together to save Trippy, the leader of the Beachlings, a group of women who teach others about the healing properties and other mysteries of the sea. Other characters who play prominent roles include 18-year-old Kait Dooley and artist Cara Finch, who are dealing with grief and learning to navigate romantic relationships, respectively; and Cara’s siblings Lorelei and Tad Finch, New York transplant Isaac Huddleston, and Lorelei’s boyfriend Casey Arondale, who end up working together to get rid of a biomedical ship searching for melanin pools and destroying ocean ground without regard for the sea creatures living in the area. Characters face disappointments and setbacks but grow stronger together. Abernathy’s worldbuilding is remarkable: Sea creatures communicate with humans, special white shells help divers breathe underwater, and the book has a touch of time travel to top it all off. The characters are realistic and skillfully crafted, and the descriptions throughout are often enticing (“dolphins glide through the indigo depths, moving upward into the restful hues of a soft blue-violet tide”). The very real emotional difficulties these characters face, paired with the lush imagery, make for a well-rounded book, especially for teen readers looking for a book with a touch of fantasy.
A bewitching story with a charming cast and an enchanting sea setting.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9798901742648
Page Count: 298
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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 sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia.
A teenage witch goes up against the evil king of the mountain to save a cursed village.
Witch-in-training Verity Vox has spent a year apiece in different villages, helping in any way she can as she learns her art. When it’s time to move on, she receives a sign that shows her where to go next. When the latest sign appears in the form of a note begging for help that floats down on a leaf, she’s eager for the challenge. Verity winds up in Foxfire, a village in the Appalachian mountains that’s been magically cut off from the rest of the world for years, leaving its people close to starvation. The root of their suffering is a man they know as Earl, who lives in the hills and strikes deals with the townspeople that ultimately cause crops to wither, folks to disappear, and the only bridge out of the valley to crumble. Verity is determined to change the villagers’ fortunes, but to do so she’ll have to face off against not just Earl but the ancient power of the mountains itself. Loosely based on the Germanic Erlking legend and told in a voice reminiscent of folktales, the story features a queer romance and a cast that presents white. The convoluted magic system undercuts the strong themes of reciprocity, poverty, and privilege, but Appalachian readers will instantly recognize home.
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9798890032706
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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