Teenage rogue trades Spanish Main for the Spanish plains in a solid adventure tale.
While her beloved Jaimy Fletcher recuperates in Burma from his recent madness, irrepressible Jacky Faber leaves the high seas and goes to war once more.
Dispatched to Portugal by British Intelligence to aid (and spy on) General Arthur Wellesley in his campaign against the French, Jacky finds her loyalties and background questioned. As Wellesley points out, Jacky has both accumulated an unbelievable number of military medals and consorted with the enemy, specifically Napoleon but also thieves, rogues, rebels and pirates. Jacky is not modest, but she seems to stumble into fame rather than seek it out, making her an admirable instead of an insufferably arrogant protagonist. As usual, her plans go awry, and Jacky strikes out alone for Madrid, where she finds lodging with Goya, the painter, and experiences a slew of stereotypical Spanish activities. Plot matters less than personal development; action is intermittent and the ending abrupt, but Jacky adds to her impressive repertoire of skills and amorous encounters. Jacky seems amused by her sexual allure—which indeed strains credulity—and toes the line of impropriety but technically remains faithful to Jaimy. Meyer makes many references to previous books and seems to be biding time until the next novel; this installment is entertaining but not exceptional.
Teenage rogue trades Spanish Main for the Spanish plains in a solid adventure tale. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-547-76350-7
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
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
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
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