Only 14, China’s two-year-old daughter is the center of her universe. It’s hard to be a good mom, and yet China knows that she’s learning what it takes. However, all the care in the world can’t prevent Amina’s tragic death due to an undiagnosed heart problem. Unwilling to attend the funeral, China insists on an elaborate and expensive coffin. Once she’s committed to an impossible debt, she quits school to work at the counter of a raunchy strip club in her Houston neighborhood. It’s no mystery where the plot is headed and incredibly obvious that all the things China tells herself only bring her closer to disaster. A big plus is the realistic rendering of the dialogue in vibrant language without resorting to incessant swearing, yet the heavy telegraphing by the author of the discoveries ahead may make some readers impatient with the slowness of stubborn China to realize the truths abundantly evident around her. Those with a taste for gleams of sunshine in their grit will find this just the ticket. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: March 5, 2010
ISBN: 0-689-86878-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Seductive if somewhat overdone.
There’s something in the ocean, and it wants blood.
Briar Winters has been haunted all her life—by the drowning death of her twin brother when they were six and by a voice in her head that says she’ll one day join him. It’s almost the end of summer, and soon Briar’s three closest friends—Kai Baisho, Astrid Hoffman, and Finn Adler—will disperse to various colleges, leaving her behind in their hometown of Loch Creek, Massachusetts, where tragedies seem to strike repeatedly. Finn is logical and math-oriented, but he’s nevertheless been researching occult matters that just happen to involve both quantum physics and Loch Creek’s strange happenings. He and Briar are friends, found family, and maybe more? But the day after the summer carnival, Finn vanishes—and only Briar, Kai, and Astrid remember that he ever existed. As Briar’s 19th birthday party approaches, odd events in town, rumors of witches, and her own seemingly pending demise won’t stop her from finding Finn and bringing him back home. Debut author Elizabeth’s narrative is littered with moody purple prose that establishes the melodramatic atmosphere, perhaps inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe poem “The City in the Sea” that’s quoted at the beginning of each of the book’s six sections. The lead-up to the climax will enthrall readers who are willing to wade through a few confusing detours along the way. The leads present white, and both are bisexual.
Seductive if somewhat overdone. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9780823459384
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
An intimate portrait of female friendship laced with literal and metaphorical magic.
Getting through high school requires more than a little bit of magic.
On prom night, when Alexis accidentally kills Josh Harper, she panics and summons her five best friends—Paulie, Roya, Iris, Marcelina, and Maryam—for help. Alexis knows she can rely on them, not only because of their unshakeable friendship, but because of what they have in common: the ability to do magic. Attempting to make things right, the girls cast a spell but are left with a disconnected collection of Josh’s body parts, including a cold, glassy version of his heart. They divide them up and agree to dispose of what is left of Josh, piece by piece. Alexis insists on witnessing each body-part-releasing ceremony, in the process exploring her bonds with her friends—and, in one case, feelings that go far beyond friendship. But as their relationships strengthen, the spell takes its toll: Every time they lose a body part, the girls lose something too, forcing them to rethink how they define themselves and each other. This work of speculative fiction is a profoundly thoughtful exploration of female friendship, love, growth, and identity. The fully realized characters are diverse in ethnicity, sexuality, and gender identity. While the final two-thirds of the book are beautifully paced, balancing introspection and character development with plot, the first third at times feels weighed down by explanation and backstory.
Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3287-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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