Teen romance with, as Dr. Who (one of those pop-culture referents) might say, some “timey-wimey stuff” makes for good fun
Teens race to save time and space in this fast-paced third book.
Dune Ta’ala accepts a job in New Orleans guarding the sullen, sheltered and superpowered 17-year-old Hallie Girard. Used to working with the Hourglass Institute, Dune finds himself among time-traveling thieves led by Hallie’s father, Paul Girard, the true head of Chronos and an intimidating magic Mafia boss. Dune goes to study the Infinityglass—capable of transferring powers and fixing time rips and newly discovered to be a person rather than an object—but stays for the unpredictable but always entertaining Hallie. A chameleon, Hallie has found freedom in dancing, barhopping and occasional burglaries on her father’s behalf, but now she discovers that she is not who or what she thought she was. Initially combative, Hallie grows to rely on Dune as the time rips grow stronger, her powers change, and the melodramatically villainous former head of Chronos, Teague, and the psychopathic memory-meddler, Jack Landers, come to town. Mysterious Poe and the Hourglass teens also make an appearance, and previous books are neatly recapped. McEntire (Timepiece, 2012) saves the romantic scenes from cliché and wryly acknowledges all possible pop-culture inspirations in an enjoyable, fast read.
Teen romance with, as Dr. Who (one of those pop-culture referents) might say, some “timey-wimey stuff” makes for good fun . (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-60684-441-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Egmont USA
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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