Just say no.
The end of the world is nigh—who will be able to survive the apocalypse?
Sixteen-year-old twins Skye and Red Rogers move to Manhattan with their rich mother and stepfather to attend the exclusive Monmouth School for the wealthy. At first their lives revolve around fitting in with the elite of New York. But then theories of an impending global apocalypse start to circulate just as the duo gets entangled in a plot that mixes the mysterious disappearance of three teen girls, time travel, and a range of caves under Central Park that only the Secret Runners, a group of privileged and affluent kids, are able to access. But after Skye joins them, she discovers the terrible truth about the future just as society starts to collapse all around her. Can the end of the world as she knows it be prevented? Reilly’s novel features trope-laden, vapid teen girls as well as a reductive attempt at examining class warfare in which the poor rise up like the uncontrolled, homicidal animals many of the wealthy believe them to be. The magic system, which mixes Mayan buildings in Manhattan that are activated by magical Native American gems yielded by the white descendants of Mayflower passengers, is appropriative and ill-conceived. Depictions of neurodivergent characters and those with mental health struggles lack depth and nuance, coming across as othering. All main characters are white apart from one biracial (black/white) girl.
Just say no. (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-12580-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020
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
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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