A thrilling roller coaster for readers craving “the feels”; a melodramatic slog for the rest.
A tempestuous fantasy debut, the first in a trilogy, adapts the legend of Tristan and Isolde.
“I hate and I love.” Lady Branwen—lady-in-waiting, elder cousin, and best friend to Princess Eseult—is ruled by love for the land of Iveriu and its royal family and loathing toward Kernyv, whose pirates murdered her parents. So why does the Otherworld nudge her to save a shipwrecked Kernyvman whose true identity endangers both kingdoms? Debut author Pérez captures an alternative Ireland and Cornwall rich in authentic medieval details and steeped in Celtic myth. From the Queen who mystically embodies the Land to the princess whose petulant selfishness courts disaster, the female characters are vivid, powerful, and passionate. Branwen especially burns with loyal devotion for her unworthy cousin, near-instantaneous lust for her erstwhile foe, and rage, bitterness, grief, jealousy, and ecstasy as she gradually surrenders to the Otherworld’s purposes. However, Tristan, whose “bronze” complexion (a legacy of African forebears) contrasts markedly with the pale skin of the others, serves mostly as a blandly idealized love interest; the other male characters are all villainous or negligible. The prose wavers between poetic and purple, clogged with metaphor and symbolism. The unrelenting barrage of violence, tenderness, horror, and wonder becomes so exhausting that the heartbreak of the climactic cliffhanger is almost a relief.
A thrilling roller coaster for readers craving “the feels”; a melodramatic slog for the rest. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: June 5, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-13285-7
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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