A reluctant-rebel riff on “Cinderella,” with more horses. (Fantasy. 14-18)
A traitor’s daughter contends with her painful past and dangerous future in this series opener.
Nineteen-year-old “Traitor Kate” Brighton tries to outrun her father’s infamy as a Relay rider in the kingdom of Rime. Rider life is tough, especially with a new onslaught of ravenous drakes, but Kate loves horses, with whom she shares a forbidden “wilder” magical bond, risking the attention of the Inquisition. When an unexpected encounter reunites Kate with “Errant Prince” Corwin, she returns to the city of Norgard determined to protect the wilders and uncover the reason for her father’s treason. Meanwhile, co-narrator Corwin renews his rivalry with his brother, Edwin, and must compete against him for the crown. Blond, blue-eyed Corwin and black-haired, golden-skinned Kate are typical tormented protagonists, but some of the secondary characters mercifully compensate for this angst-y duo. The setting is blithely anachronistic, describing revolvers as revolutionary but newspapers and pocket watches as familiar, and plot loopholes, geographic inconsistencies, and political history are all too often (and not always successfully) obscured by magic. Arnett (The Nightmare Charade, 2015, etc.) notably draws attention to economics and poverty, elements often downplayed in fantasy novels, but otherwise offers a generic tale of action and romance. There is some ethnic diversity in secondary characters.
A reluctant-rebel riff on “Cinderella,” with more horses. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-265266-9
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
This story is necessary. This story is important.
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is a black girl and an expert at navigating the two worlds she exists in: one at Garden Heights, her black neighborhood, and the other at Williamson Prep, her suburban, mostly white high school.
Walking the line between the two becomes immensely harder when Starr is present at the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, by a white police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Khalil’s death becomes national news, where he’s called a thug and possible drug dealer and gangbanger. His death becomes justified in the eyes of many, including one of Starr’s best friends at school. The police’s lackadaisical attitude sparks anger and then protests in the community, turning it into a war zone. Questions remain about what happened in the moments leading to Khalil’s death, and the only witness is Starr, who must now decide what to say or do, if anything. Thomas cuts to the heart of the matter for Starr and for so many like her, laying bare the systemic racism that undergirds her world, and she does so honestly and inescapably, balancing heartbreak and humor. With smooth but powerful prose delivered in Starr’s natural, emphatic voice, finely nuanced characters, and intricate and realistic relationship dynamics, this novel will have readers rooting for Starr and opening their hearts to her friends and family.
This story is necessary. This story is important. (Fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-249853-3
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Fresh and witty on the surface, tender and heartfelt at its core.
A devoted teen leads her friends on a queer pilgrimage to a celebrity event (OK—more like a post-prom road trip to a YouTuber meet and greet).
Snarky, “chaotically bisexual” Amelia Applebaum has harbored a longtime parasocial obsession with recently-gone-viral YouTuber Walter Holland. Sure, he’s a total stranger, but he’s personally responded to her social media comments not once, but twice! As senior year comes to an end, Amelia drags her three best friends—Zora and twins Natalie and Mark—to a college campus in upstate New York, several hours’ drive away from their home in Westchester, for an in-person event with Walter. Anxious about change, Amelia feels that this is an important swan song for her and her close-knit friend group before they leave for college in the fall. Amelia never expected that by showing up and meeting Walter in person, they’d end up roping him into their adventure, transforming him from unattainable crush to genuine friend. Meanwhile, her feelings for Natalie seem to be developing into something more. Albertalli creates a realistic microcosm of queer and Jewish teen culture with no shortage of her signature humor and clever snark (Amelia and Walter are white and Jewish, the Jewish twins have a Chinese dad and are implied biracial, and Zora, “the group’s token gentile,” is cued Black). The friends’ banter is warm, endearing, and relatable.
Fresh and witty on the surface, tender and heartfelt at its core. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9780063045927
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
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