This inventive read successfully combines elements of contemporary teen lit, dystopian adventures, and The X-Men into a...
Two teens rekindle their romance and stage a daring metaphysical rescue in an intoxicating alternate reality.
In the six months since they met and had a wild overnight adventure in Shyness, a strange Australian coastal suburb where it’s always dark, Nia and the mysteriously hairy Jethro (also called Wildgirl and Wolfboy, respectively) haven’t spoken, but they haven’t been able to forget each other, either. Craving both stability and adventure, each has turned to work and family to pass the time, reuniting after a bit of heartache to save Jethro’s friend Paul. Investigating further, they discover connections between the mysterious Datura Institute and sinister Dr. Gregory’s unscrupulous experiments with dreams and consciousness. Jethro and Nia team up with Blake (formerly under the control of the Kidds, abandoned children addicted to sugar) and her ally, the Queen of the Night (an accomplished teen herbalist). Hall deposits readers directly into a wildly distinctive world while also providing enough contextual clues from This Is Shyness (2010) that readers unfamiliar with it will grasp what’s going on. A final-act red herring dilutes the impact of the rescue’s daring set piece and will leave readers hoping that there may be another Shyness novel coming along someday.
This inventive read successfully combines elements of contemporary teen lit, dystopian adventures, and The X-Men into a delicate, elliptical, and heartfelt genre all its own. (Urban fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-921758-64-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Text
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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