Engaging characters (including a memorable young hero) fuel this paranormal thriller.
A superpowered Ohio teen fights to thwart a diabolical plan involving powerful amulets in Angell’s YA SF sequel.
Calli Courtnae begins her senior year in her Ohio high school with a diamond shard in her heart. Because of that shard, she possesses an array of cosmic powers; other cosmically gifted individuals, as far as she knows, can wield only one. She wants to use her hunter ability to track down Shadow Demons, which attack people with special abilities. The demons remain elusive, but she finds unexpected help from fellow high schooler Brand Safferson. He has a power that Calli strangely can’t identify allowing him to charm numerous girls and seemingly predict counterattacks during scuffles with guys. Not long after they connect, clan-leading “amulet wearers” begin inexplicably disappearing; their five amulets each contain another shard from that same diamond. Someone may be plotting to bring the shards together to extract the diamond’s full power; this could prove deadly, as touching the diamond will kill most people. And wouldn’t this plan require somehow getting the shard out of Calli’s heart? Angell’s sophomore installment opens up the Unaltered series’ expanding universe (Calli’s mentor Maetha provides a fair amount of exposition). This novel largely zeroes in on Calli and Brand as they search for a way to draw out Shadow Demons without getting the latter fatally mauled. The two form a gleefully curious relationship, becoming close friends in spite of Brand’s flagrant romantic interest that Calli doesn’t reciprocate (“If not for Brand’s insufferable personality, I would feel terrible for using him as my test subject”). Chances for Calli to display her abilities are minimal; she hides the full extent of her powers from nearly everyone, including Brand. But the final act gets a surge of suspense as subplots merge and Calli confronts several baddies. The ending unmistakably sets up the next installment, which will hopefully illuminate the mysterious individuals who pop up throughout this story.
Engaging characters (including a memorable young hero) fuel this paranormal thriller.Pub Date: May 10, 2017
ISBN: 9780979524882
Page Count: 275
Publisher: Fantasy Books Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 6, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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