A world ruled by Hitler ought to evoke at least a smidgen of horror, but this overstuffed slog overwhelms the horrifyingly...
Dark secrets abound in the last human enclave two generations after the Nazis created vampirism and took over the world.
Sophie lives in Haven, the Pacific island nation where humanity retreated after the truce with the undead Third Reich (if there were prior residents, they're invisible in mostly occidental Haven). Sophie adores her secret vampire boyfriend, Val, to whom she smells "intoxicating." Val hides secrets of his own: as a human, he was engaged to Sophie's grandmother; later, he had a fling with Sophie's mother. More important than Val's incestuous affections is his knowledge of who is murdering everyone Sophie loves. He won't tell her, so Sophie's willing to investigate even into the Third Reich, if she must. Bramble’s New York—Gestapo-controlled, vampire-overrun—shows no sign of the evils to be expected of even a human Führer, aside from one appallingly unconcerned mention that nearly all Jews have been murdered. This book’s moral compass is seriously skewed. As Sophie adventures with cinematic intensity, she knows she's unlike the prejudiced Havenites, for she comprehends morality in shades of gray. Why, this sophisticated miss understands that human misdeeds in the fight for survival against total annihilation are comparable to the horrors of Auschwitz, an equation drawn with a straight narrative face.
A world ruled by Hitler ought to evoke at least a smidgen of horror, but this overstuffed slog overwhelms the horrifyingly real vileness of Nazism with vampiric banalities. (Science fiction. 13-15)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-63079-017-2
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Switch/Capstone
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
Even the requisite romance is drowned in florid prose and uneven characterization
Madeline Landry, the daughter of one of the richest and most powerful noble houses of a nuclear future, hopes to empower society's weakest without endangering her own wealth and comfort.
In the month since Madeline's seen her cruel father banished (Landry Park, 2014), peace seems further than ever. The wealthy Uprisen loathe Madeline's willingness to work with the Rootless—the de facto enslaved class forced to handle spent uranium. The short-lived Rootless, on the other hand, have no trust for Madeline's slow-moving moderation. As if that weren't enough, some dastardly villain keeps artistically murdering Uprisen in Madeline's ancestral home. The very model of Martin Luther King’s white moderate, “paternalistically believing she can set the timetable” for the Rootless' freedom, Madeline is a bundle of contradictions. She's unendingly concerned with the styles and fabrics used in her clothing while primly mocking those interested in "fashion and celebrity gossip." Unwilling to risk her ancestral home, she begs for order while the police rampage through the Rootless ghetto. Though she knows the Rootless live in starvation, she wants to "convince them it will be better to wait" while she attends endless dinners of "seared bluefin tuna," "bacon-flecked spinach," and "lamb with mint sauce." Poor little Madeline, who laments that being a pale-skinned redhead among the darker Uprisen makes her "different."
Even the requisite romance is drowned in florid prose and uneven characterization . (Science fiction. 13-15)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3949-9
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
Mystery lovers will be pleased to have this whodunit, which is neither Victoriana nor steampunk
The brilliant daughter of Detective Sgt. Moriarty meets posh Sherlock Holmes, so obviously there will be murders.
Mori's got her hands full putting up with idiots at school, grieving her six-months-dead mum, and protecting her three younger brothers from their alcoholic and abusive father. Not so long ago, her family was happy: her dad spent time being manly with the boys, while Mori learned about martial arts and sleight of hand from her mother. With all that over, Mori has no intention of becoming friends with arrogant classmate Sherlock. Despite her best efforts to stay away from him, though, Mori fails. Both his intelligence and his affection for her are deeply compelling, and that's not to mention how interesting it is to be solving a murder with one of the few clever people she knows. When the crime they're investigating starts hitting too close to home—reminding Mori of her beloved mother's many secrets—she no longer wants Sherlock to be a part of her investigation. The story is set in present-day London and narrated affectingly by Mori. The conclusion leaves space for the fated collapse of the Holmes/Moriarty relationship in later series entries, putting a nice potential twist on the good girl–bad boy trend.
Mystery lovers will be pleased to have this whodunit, which is neither Victoriana nor steampunk . (Mystery. 13-15)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-2303-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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