An enjoyable, imaginative read with complex characters.
The residents of an isolated town in the Mojave Desert survive a deadly virus.
Kyrie was 6 when a fine green dust rained down from the clouds. Those outside Peakin, California, died from a mysterious illness, but supplements have kept locals alive. Mayor Heathe is at the top of the community’s hierarchical structure, while Pastor Basil watches over people’s souls. Eighteen-year-old Kyrie spends much of her time journaling and working at the local mercantile, which helps her family afford the supplements they need to remain healthy. She resents her harsh, angry father, who often stumbles home drunk. After Kyrie’s friends, 21-year-old orphan Maple and Morgan, the son of town Council members, decide to marry, a violent event shatters the facade of their small-town life, introducing a more sinister storyline. The fallout prompts Kyrie to explore beyond Peakin’s borders, joining Thatch, a mysterious newcomer who shares uncomfortable truths. This action-packed dystopian novel offers attention-grabbing reveals and escapes along with a bit of romance amid the ensuing tensions. Unfortunately, the treatment of Kyrie’s father’s alcohol abuse, while empathetic, hinges upon a scientifically inaccurate plot point and is framed in a way that feels problematic. Snippets from Kyrie’s journal open each chapter, showing inner turmoil that supports the book’s themes, including criticism of power structures and their deceptive control over the public. The Christian faith-based messaging naturally interweaves an interrogation of the problem of evil.
An enjoyable, imaginative read with complex characters. (Dystopian. 14-18)Pub Date: today
ISBN: 9798886052619
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Enclave Escape
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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