by Kristen Lippert-Martin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2016
This may make readers yearn for a do-over with a truly blank slate.
In this sequel to Tabula Rasa (2014), Lippert-Martin returns to her tale of a girl who’s lost her memory but gained some extraordinary powers and the young hacker who fought a corrupt hospital establishment by her side.
Angel thought she’d be able to leave the past behind and start a new life, free from threat, in her beloved New York City with her boyfriend, Thomas. Only hours into their first date, their world is turned upside down again. Thomas is kidnapped, and someone tries to murder Angel, right under the noses of their protection detail, who do nothing to help. If it weren’t for a strange kid named Mikey, Angel would have died and there would be no clues to follow to track Thomas. But whoever is after Thomas…and perhaps Angel…seems to have plans for Mikey as well. As this unlikely trio races from one clue to the next, one threat to the next, Angel knows she’s going to need every bit of help her enhanced brain and elusive memories can provide if she’s going to keep everyone alive. While the action is nonstop, these characters are paper-thin and the plot so convoluted that readers new to the series will have difficulty understanding intercharacter relationships or motivations. Angel narrates in an undistinguished present tense that makes even action scenes feel ponderous. She, Thomas, and Mikey are all white.
This may make readers yearn for a do-over with a truly blank slate. (Thriller. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5124-0577-4
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Review Posted Online: June 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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by Laura Nowlin
by Daniel Aleman ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2021
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
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