Readers beguiled with the Super Human trilogy can plunge immediately into the Quantum Prophecy trilogy, to which this has...
The third in the Super Human series continues to deliver a high-octane blend of concept and action.
Gethin Rao never expected a Sunday choir performance to drastically alter his life. In a brilliant flash, he changes into a 12-year-old bright-blue giant whose skin is nearly bulletproof and who can crush cars and helicopters with his bare hands. Gethin becomes Brawn and collaborates with others who have been given extraordinary abilities, but he grows to distrust their leader. When faced with a pivotal choice, Brawn follows his conscience, betraying the superheroes and branding himself an outlaw. Examining the lifespan of a single superhuman and tracing his passage from idealist to relativist, Carroll creates an utterly compelling narrative that ends all too soon. Experiencing an authentic emotional journey over years spent running and suffering, Brawn touches all the chords. Carroll introduces flaws at the right moments, making his giant blue man feel more real than many other protagonists in teen novels today. The moral absolutism of the first in the series (Super Human, 2010) makes a momentary reappearance, but in the most fitting of ways.
Readers beguiled with the Super Human trilogy can plunge immediately into the Quantum Prophecy trilogy, to which this has been a prequel. They will be glad they don't have to wait. (Science fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-399-25761-2
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 20, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
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
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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