Three teenagers in Los Angeles find themselves on the brink of an alien invasion.
At Fairfax High, Pedro, Luna, and Rafa are not friends. Pedro is a loud, flashy dresser and a social media influencer whose sharp tongue conceals the pain he experiences from his harshly critical uncle. Luna rides high on the social ladder, but beneath her popularity she is saddled with penetrating grief from the death of her beloved cousin, Tasha, to Covid-19 two years prior. Rafa is a quiet outsider, fiercely focused on protecting his family—especially his little sister, Mónica—and currently living in a tent under the highway. This unlikely trio comes together to solve the puzzling appearance of a strange teenage girl who looks exactly like Tasha. Rivera offers an eerie, immersive page-turner that immediately grips readers in large part because of her skilled characterization that adds emotional richness to an engaging extraterrestrial mystery. The bond that develops between Pedro, Luna, and Rafa reflects the ways that humanity can come to the fore even when faced with the most terrifying of dangers. The inclusion of the coronavirus pandemic, Black Lives Matter protests, and the distrust of communities of color toward the police paints just the right social context for the lives of these near-contemporary Southern California teens. Characters are cued as Latinx.
An engrossing and exceptionally relevant pre-apocalyptic tale that begs for a sequel. (Science fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0376-3
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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Engrossing, contemplative, and as heart-wrenching as the title promises.
29
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What would you do with one day left to live?
In an alternate present, a company named Death-Cast calls Deckers—people who will die within the coming day—to inform them of their impending deaths, though not how they will happen. The End Day call comes for two teenagers living in New York City: Puerto Rican Mateo and bisexual Cuban-American foster kid Rufus. Rufus needs company after a violent act puts cops on his tail and lands his friends in jail; Mateo wants someone to push him past his comfort zone after a lifetime of playing it safe. The two meet through Last Friend, an app that connects lonely Deckers (one of many ways in which Death-Cast influences social media). Mateo and Rufus set out to seize the day together in their final hours, during which their deepening friendship blossoms into something more. Present-tense chapters, short and time-stamped, primarily feature the protagonists’ distinctive first-person narrations. Fleeting third-person chapters give windows into the lives of other characters they encounter, underscoring how even a tiny action can change the course of someone else’s life. It’s another standout from Silvera (History Is All You Left Me, 2017, etc.), who here grapples gracefully with heavy questions about death and the meaning of a life well-lived.
Engrossing, contemplative, and as heart-wrenching as the title promises. (Speculative fiction. 13-adult).Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-245779-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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New monsters terrorize Shanghai amid political upheaval and the reignition of the blood feud between the Chinese Scarlet Gang and the Russian White Flowers.
The death of Marshall Seo unleashed a new wave of violence, but when a mysterious figure wielding control over more deadly-insect–releasing monsters begins extorting money from both gangs, their leaders agree to temporarily cooperate in the interests of eliminating a mutual foe. They order their respective heirs to find the blackmailer, and so, once again, Roma Montagov and Juliette Cai must work together for the benefit of those under their protection. But their feelings for each other—complicated by hidden truths, lingering love, and unforgiving duty—prove difficult to repress. Meanwhile, the time of revolution draws near: Workers continue to organize protests decrying both foreign occupation and gangster rule as the Nationalist Army marches toward Shanghai in its campaign to unite and reclaim the country. Secrets abound and loyalties are tested in this tightly plotted sequel featuring a multinational cast and told through multiple third-person perspectives, including those of supporting characters introduced in These Violent Delights (2020). Stubborn Rosalind, obliging Kathleen, and grief-stricken Benedikt all return to play vital roles that blend seamlessly into Roma’s and Juliette’s storylines as they each are forced to consider what it is they truly want and the lengths they will go to protect it.
Star-crossed lovers carve their own paths in an explosive conclusion that lives up to its title. (Historical fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-534-45772-0
Page Count: 512
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
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