An all-around win for readers who enjoy (not too scary) horror, thrilling tales, and contemplating the deeper meaning of...
White’s (Bright We Burn, 2018, etc.) timely retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is told from the point of view of 17-year-old Elizabeth Lavenza, ward of the Frankensteins and caretaker of Victor Frankenstein.
Elizabeth’s childhood was full of loss and despair. In the Frankenstein home she was cared for as long as she socialized Victor and kept him calm, but he has gone off to study and fallen out of contact. Without him, she feels her future is uncertain, as he was the reason for her existence in his family’s home. Fearing that she will be once again destitute, Elizabeth convinces her friend Justine to travel with her to find Victor and bring him back. What Elizabeth finds rocks her to her core, and, fearing for Victor’s safety and future, she does all she can to protect him. But what if the monster she truly fears is not the misshapen monstrosity of Victor’s creation but something with a more human form? White creates an exciting tale with strong, witty, and certainly flawed, white female protagonists. Readers will ponder whether monsters are beings that are outwardly frightening or if it is one’s soul, or lack thereof, that makes one a true monster. Those familiar with the original story will enjoy the references to it scattered throughout.
An all-around win for readers who enjoy (not too scary) horror, thrilling tales, and contemplating the deeper meaning of life. (Fiction. 15-18)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-57794-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
A thrilling fantasy series opener.
Gem, a transmasc teen in a small Southern town, finds it increasingly difficult to discern between nightmare and reality when a new girl comes to town and informs Gem that they’re a god.
Following a difficult divorce, Gem and their mother moved to Gracie, Georgia, their mom’s hometown, which is also closer to their ancestral Seminole lands. It’s been four years, but Gem feels alone and dreams of moving to Brooklyn, where their best friend, Enzo, a Native trans boy with a thriving queer social life, lives. Gem and Enzo talk regularly, but Gem has never mentioned the vivid nightmares—full of “blood and gore and magic and sex demons”—that have haunted them since childhood. So when beautiful new classmate Willa Mae saves Gem’s life and claims that the two of them are gods and soulmates, Gem’s mom begins to question whether Gem is hallucinating like their father did. But taking their meds is not a top priority for Gem right now: They have to find a magic knife and stave off the demons that are threatening their life while figuring out what to do about loving two people at the same time. Fast-paced and engaging, the novel addresses queer identity, mental health, and belonging to and disconnection from one’s land and language, while weaving a vivid magic realm with its own logic.
A thrilling fantasy series opener. (map) (Fantasy. 15-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781250853615
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
An interesting premise unevenly executed.
Eighteen-year-old Venus Stoneheart is a witcher with a pain-filled past and an uncertain future.
In an alternate version of the greater Washington, D.C., metro area, Venus’ mother, the formidable Clarissa Stoneheart, used to be the Love Witcher. She broke her pledge to only brew love potions, lost her magic as a consequence, and then turned her attention to teaching Venus, the new Love Witcher, “her 3-B philosophy…Get your bag, brew, and bounce.” When Clarissa is murdered, Venus is tested to her limits as she fights external forces by using her calling (her magical ability to brew) for political gain while also struggling to quiet the deviation (or trauma-inflicted corruption of her calling) that infects her. The deviation, which she calls It, can give Venus access to immense power, but she’s still haunted, in more ways than she realizes, by the first time it was uncaged, when she was 15. The buildup to action takes some time, and the plot can be confusing to follow, given the digressions to explain the worldbuilding. Characters are alternately centered, pushed to the periphery, and then brought into focus again, seemingly in service of filling plot gaps but without necessarily moving the story forward. Patient readers will eventually encounter unexpected twists and turns that provide an exciting and satisfying ending. Recipes for potions readers can brew themselves deepen the pull into this witchery world.
An interesting premise unevenly executed. (content warning, author’s note, glossary) (Fantasy. 15-18)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781728251950
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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