by L.A. Meyer ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 4, 2014
A solid and sentimental entry in an underrated series.
Plucky piratical orphan Jacky Faber relies on luck and skill to avoid hanging—yet again—in this 12th and, sadly, final book of the stellar Bloody Jack series, published posthumously.
The 19-year-old previously fled Boston and foreswore men after she was publicly whipped by her (disguised) love interest, James “Jaimy” Fletcher (Boston Jacky, 2013). Here, she returns to the city only to face false charges of treason. Setting sail, she first lands in nearby Plymouth and serves as governess to a bloodthirsty Edgar Allen Polk (the future poet Poe), then joins the circus—a logical if belated career move. Thanks to her prior extraordinary but well-plotted encounters with rogues, royals and other historical figures of the turn of the 19th century, Jacky has friends and enemies everywhere (and mentions nearly all of them in her nostalgic moments), and she soon faces the hangman with trademark gallows humor. Jacky is a complicated protagonist, unchanging—always stubborn, entrepreneurial, flirtatious and quick to cross-dress—and in constant motion, and she’s a shameless self-promoter (with help from her publisher and friend, Amy Trevelyne), marked with scars and tattoos, who now needs anonymity. Meyer adheres to his effective and enjoyable formula, offering an impressively accomplished heroine, suspense as taut as a hangman’s rope and a satisfying conclusion.
A solid and sentimental entry in an underrated series. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-21777-5
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2014
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by Kathleen Glasgow ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 30, 2016
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
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After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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by Holly Black ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 2, 2018
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
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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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by Holly Black ; illustrated by Rovina Cai
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