Action-packed interplanetary hijinks.
Four friends face off against an impending alien invasion.
High schoolers Jack Delaney, Cameron Yates, Megan Joyce, and Ayo Osikoya-Arinola aren’t the most popular students at their school. But as tHeScOuRgE, ForgeFire666, Zuul, and Hephaestus in Distant Dawn, a global online co-op game featuring massive mechs and tentacled alien foes, they comprise the Raid Mob, the game’s most legendary squad. Their skills have gained them exclusive first access to the company’s new virtual reality controller set, and this next Fullmersion level of Distant Dawn brings the sights and smells very close. When the teens seemingly come face to face with aliens spouting plans for a takeover of Earth, they must use their skills to save humanity. Are reality and the world of Distant Dawn colliding, or are they just experiencing overstimulation from the new tech? Sullivan explores themes of friendship, family, resolve, and reality in this fight-filled series opener. Cameron, who stutters, and Ayo, who is autistic, in particular draw strength from their virtual selves. Sullivan also touches upon issues in technology and gaming like doxxing and data mining. Extended action-packed scenes should engage gamers and science-fiction fans, though some casual readers may find them dense. Illustrated elements, including scoreboards, robot and weapon specs, and blacked-out “game over” spreads, add an immersive element, as does a musical playlist. Other than Nigerian British Ayo, the main characters read White.
Action-packed interplanetary hijinks. (Science fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-78226-959-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Clock Tower Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart.
After praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic.
When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love—and his potentially lethal kisses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity; readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White; there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart. (map) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26839-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play.
Garber returns to the world of bestseller Caraval (2017), this time with the focus on younger, more daring sister Donatella.
Valenda, capital of the empire, is host to the second of Legend’s magical games in a single year, and while Scarlett doesn’t want to play again, blonde Tella is eager for a chance to prove herself. She is haunted by the memory of her death in the last game and by the cursed Deck of Destiny she used as a child which foretold her loveless future. Garber has changed many of the rules of her expanding world, which now appears to be infused with magic and evil Fates. Despite a weak plot and ultraviolet prose (“He tasted like exquisite nightmares and stolen dreams, like the wings of fallen angels, and bottles of fresh moonlight.”), this is a tour de force of imagination. Themes of love, betrayal, and the price of magic (and desire) swirl like Caraval’s enchantments, and Dante’s sensuous kisses will thrill readers as much as they do Tella. The convoluted machinations of the Prince of Hearts (one of the Fates), Legend, and even the empress serve as the impetus for Tella’s story and set up future volumes which promise to go bigger. With descriptions focusing primarily on clothing, characters’ ethnicities are often indeterminate.
Dark, seductive, but over-the-top: Characters and book alike will enthrall those who choose to play. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-09531-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
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