An imaginative fantasy-horror tale anchored by a relatable teen hero, engaging despite a surfeit of adolescent angst.
Pursued by demons, a teenage girl must confront darkness and a terrible destiny in Levi’s YA fantasy novel.
In Washington State,17-year-old Scarlet Singer is haunted by nightmarish shadows and a feeling of wrongness. Her bad dreams come true when her home is invaded by a monster in the guise of a man. Her mother sacrifices herself to give her daughter time to escape, and a teenage telepath named Marcus Castillo is drawn to Scarlet, sensing her distress. His grandmother, a witch named Kara, accompanies him and slaughters the demonic killer with magic, and Scarlet’s perception of reality is forever changed (“I know magic isn’t real, and demons are like fairytales designed to scare children. Except, I am now swayed to the argument that demons are real, and magic seems to exist despite my reservations”). Packed with demons, humans reduced to “meat suits,” blood-letting and blood-drinking, witches, telepathy, time-shifting, and supernatural realms reachable through magic portals, the novel is never dull. The abundance of fantasy and horror tropes could have been overkill, but the author weaves them into a neat twist on the concepts of the fountain of youth and reincarnation. The catalyst is the 19th-century journal of a young woman named Kelby, which causes Scarlet, sheltered by a powerful Witches Council, to begin to wonder who—and what—she is, leaving her with a secret she can’t share, hunted by demons and ostensible friends alike. Throughout, Scarlet’s closeness to Witches Council members Marcus and the handsome Zig complicates things. Scarlet cares for besotted Marcus but resents his protectiveness and ability to read her thoughts. She is attracted to Zig but put off by his and Marcus’ jealous competitiveness over her. (In the face of horrific occurrences and constant danger, this prolonged, adolescent dynamic among the three grows a bit tiresome.) The author effectively keeps the plot moving forward by shifting narratives between Scarlet, Marcus, Zig, Kelby’s journal, an enigmatic witch named Azeltha, Scarlet’s demonic nemesis, Dagon, and a few minor but essential characters. The shocker of a cliffhanger at the end signals a sequel to come.
An imaginative fantasy-horror tale anchored by a relatable teen hero, engaging despite a surfeit of adolescent angst.Pub Date: March 9, 2023
ISBN: 9798376885062
Page Count: 425
Publisher: Independently Published
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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