An exciting series conclusion.
As Tai and Trey approach their 16th birthdays, strange things start happening in this final entry of the Mirror quartet, whose entries are written by different authors.
Trey’s telekinetic and transformative magic gains heightened emotional sensitivity after he loses a coveted orchestra position to a new student, leading to broken cello strings and a shattered salad bowl. Aspiring photographer Tai, who can see brief visions in reflective surfaces, starts seeing a mysterious young woman through her camera lens. The twins grow more unsettled when they find a portrait of a girl called Elva painted by their missing mother, artist Blake Estancia Watson from J.C. Cervantes’ Fractured Path (2022), and references to her in their mom’s notebook. There’s also the family curse to consider—it causes two good incidents to follow one bad one—but to Tai, it seems like there’s only one good thing at the moment, and that’s her cute new classmate, Ayesha, who helps the siblings when they notice they’re being followed by sinister, magic-using strangers. When Tai finds a mirror that reveals a strange secret, she realizes that she may have found the key to finding her mother. Snappy dialogue and pop-culture references establish a strong sense of place and time in this story, which sweeps the three Black teens into a heart-pounding adventure that sets them against a hostile organization and on the path to dissolving a curse that began long ago with a broken promise.
An exciting series conclusion. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: July 18, 2023
ISBN: 9781368046367
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
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
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
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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