A simple, engaging dystopian YA tale of freethinking and self-determination.
In Fridgen’s debut young-adult dystopian novel, a young girl, her grandmother and her only friend race to escape the repressive, walled city of Philadelphia.
In a near-future, post-apocalyptic world, human society has separated into city-states based on religious belief. Teenager Ruth3:5 lives in Philadelphia, where all aspects of life are determined by the GovernChurch. Men and women are separated at age 13, electricity is rationed, and fathers visit their families for ChristBirth services and to threaten and beat their wives and children. Girls who show too much independence are forced to join the Magdalenes, where most die young after being used as prostitutes by the men of MensTown. Biblecation has replaced education—people are even named after Bible verses. No dissent or questions are allowed. But Ruth3:5 has a mind of her own and wants to use it. When she publicly challenges the accuracy of a Bible passage, she sets off a chain of events that leads her to flee from Philadelphia with her grandmother and male best friend, Two Sam, in search of the fabled city of Manhattan, where people are still allowed to think for themselves and believe what they want. The story delivers a dystopian fable in the vein of 1984 or Brave New World, but where Orwell warned about the dangers of a totalitarian state and Huxley wrote of mind control through drugs and distraction, Fridgen focuses on the dangers of religious fundamentalism. However, the novel is also a fast-paced adventure with likable main characters, written in a unadorned, competent style. Throughout, the author handles dialogue and character development well, although some readers may wish that both were a bit more complex at times. That said, Fridgen smartly explores the impact of his world’s version of fundamentalism on the daily lives of women and convincingly connects the rigid belief system to sexism and brutality. In the end, however, how compelling readers will find the fable may depend on how dangerous and believable they feel the threat of religious fundamentalism to be.
A simple, engaging dystopian YA tale of freethinking and self-determination.Pub Date: Nov. 27, 2012
ISBN: 9780615701790
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dreamlly Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling, history-filled adventure.
Cantwell concludes his Tollan trilogy with high school time-traveler Peter Collins’ greatest adventure yet.
In previous books in the series, Peter and his friend Rosa traveled to ancient Mexico with the help of the serpent god Quetzalcoatl. Now they journey to Tenochtitlan, the city of the Aztecs, where they must set history on its right course. Tasked with no little feat, Peter and Rosa reach the heart of one of the most contentious times in Mexican history. When a conquistador—known in Spanish as Cortes—comes to the Aztec city, Peter and Rosa help Emperor Montezuma deal with the newcomer. Together they must figure out if the man is Topiltzin—the human reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl—or a stranger bent on conquering the city by force. Eventually, Quetzalcoatl does in fact return, and he brings Peter and Rosa forward in history to the city of Choula, where they try to bring peace to the nascent country of Mexico by convincing the Spaniards that Mexicans deserve love, respect and equality. Cantwell superbly recreates ancient Mexico with colorful descriptions of city buildings, citizens’ attire and specific details like blood in the streets from human sacrifices. Despite offering an admirable message for kids, the trip to Choula feels out of place and more like a mere detour. Additionally, readers are swept away before seeing the fall of the Aztecs, which is a bit disappointing; the end of Topiltzin’s story is merely told to reader rather than shown. Nonetheless, Cantwell brings his trilogy to a satisfying conclusion, as Peter and Rosa realize they’re more than just friends, and Peter finally learns the shocking truth of his parentage.
A thrilling, history-filled adventure.Pub Date: Nov. 20, 2012
ISBN: 978-1475958492
Page Count: 122
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Once readers dig up this clever supernatural YA story, they likely won’t want to put it down.
Debut novelist Morton tells a gloriously macabre young-adult tale about the difficulties of being a teenage ghoul in the 1970s.
Howard and his family are ghouls. Scientifically, all that means is that their bodies don’t produce certain hormones and enzymes. But Howard’s father has been training him since age 11 in the practical side of their heritage: They need to dig up and eat freshly dead bodies to make up for their own bodily deficiencies. After Howard is orphaned by a murderous mob on his 17th birthday, he flees Georgia for New Jersey and searches out his grandmother—also a ghoul, because the condition is genetic. Granny disagreed with Howard’s parents on many things; for example, she considers “digging for food” low class. (She worked as a nurse who took her work home with her, so to speak.) If she and Howard are going to live under the same roof, Howard is going to have to adapt to a new way of life—including graduating from high school. As the fall semester begins, he starts his senior year at Pinebury High, home of some particularly sadistic bullies. Right away, the jocks forcibly seat Howard at what they call the “nerds and fags” table in the cafeteria. Here, Howard meets oddballs and outcasts who will become his friends, including a frustrated musician named Sebastian who turns Howard on to a new genre of music made for people on society’s fringe: punk rock. Morton successfully pairs the darker aspects of life in high school with the lighter aspects of cannibalism, including details that range from humorous, poignant reflections on monster movies to quirky details of grave robbing. Howard’s very human struggle to find acceptance explores whether being a monster is in fact a choice. The plot starts to decay three-quarters of the way through with a series of improbable events, but Morton satisfyingly finishes the story off before it goes bad. The ending will likely leave readers happy and delightfully disturbed.
Once readers dig up this clever supernatural YA story, they likely won’t want to put it down.Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2012
ISBN: B00AFCTMCU
Page Count: 322
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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