A frothy little stand-alone fairy tale.
A chaste forbidden romance between a siren and a human in this re-edited rerelease from The Selection (2012) author Cass.
When the ship that Kahlen and her wealthy, white family are passengers on is hit by siren song, luring everyone overboard to their deaths, Kahlen’s desperate prayers for life are answered—by the Ocean. Three sirens explain the deal: Kahlen will live for 100 years as a siren, serving the Ocean by singing humans to their deaths, and then go free; if she refuses the deal, she dies. Eighty years later and in the thoroughly wired present, Kahlen grieves the lives she takes while loving the Ocean as a mother. With her multicultural-in-name-only siren sisters (Japanese, African, and Indian characters alongside a number of white ones), Kahlen interacts with humans carefully (with feigned muteness, as their voices are dangerous). Then she meets sweet, slightly goofy Akinli, a blond, white college boy, and they fall hard for each other. While the romance comes on fast, it’s based on more than physical attraction. All Kahlen ever wanted was love and to be a bride, but she still has 20 years of service before she can rejoin humanity. The value she places on heterosexual romance coexists with her sisters’ differing priorities, character-specific rather than universal. Still, despite their more varied life interests, between pretty dresses and endless pining, this one is best for hopeless romantics.
A frothy little stand-alone fairy tale. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-239199-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2016
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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