An excellent end to an uneven but enjoyable series.
Sunshine Griffith faces down her destiny.
The Sunshine Girl trilogy concludes as the title character returns from training and prepares to battle the deadly superdemon, Dubu. Surrounded by her biological, luiseach parents, Aidan and Helena, her boyfriend, Nolan, her adoptive, human mom, Kat, her childhood, human best friend, Ashley, and a fellow luiseach, Lucio—all evidently white with the exception of Latino Lucio—Sunshine is filled in on prophecies, hidden histories, and last-minute skill sets. The promising series stumbled in its second installment by wedging Sunshine into a poor “chosen one” narrative. But now Sunshine is back on her home turf and ready to slay some demons. The author embraces the campy, gothic roots that inspired the series, offering sordid romantic histories, a mysterious luiseach council, and eleventh-hour betrayals. Sunshine is admirably strong, observant, and self-reliant. She may have lots of backup, but at the end of the day she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. The only storyline that’s a whiff is Sunshine’s relationship with Nolan. There’s very little heat to this romance. Sunshine’s relationship with Aidan and Helena is much more interesting, crackling with conflict and character. The spooky set pieces remain excellent, and the author’s handle on action has improved over the three books. The first installment remains the best, but this is a fine way to end Sunshine’s story.
An excellent end to an uneven but enjoyable series. (Paranormal suspense. 12-16)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-60286-298-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Weinstein Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
Characters to love, quips to snort at, insights to ponder: typical Spinelli.
For two teenagers, a small town’s annual cautionary ritual becomes both a life- and a death-changing experience.
On the second Wednesday in June, every eighth grader in Amber Springs, Pennsylvania, gets a black shirt, the name and picture of a teen killed the previous year through reckless behavior—and the silent treatment from everyone in town. Like many of his classmates, shy, self-conscious Robbie “Worm” Tarnauer has been looking forward to Dead Wed as a day for cutting loose rather than sober reflection…until he finds himself talking to a strange girl or, as she would have it, “spectral maiden,” only he can see or touch. Becca Finch is as surprised and confused as Worm, only remembering losing control of her car on an icy slope that past Christmas Eve. But being (or having been, anyway) a more outgoing sort, she sees their encounter as a sign that she’s got a mission. What follows, in a long conversational ramble through town and beyond, is a day at once ordinary yet rich in discovery and self-discovery—not just for Worm, but for Becca too, with a climactic twist that leaves both ready, or readier, for whatever may come next. Spinelli shines at setting a tongue-in-cheek tone for a tale with serious underpinnings, and as in Stargirl (2000), readers will be swept into the relationship that develops between this adolescent odd couple. Characters follow a White default.
Characters to love, quips to snort at, insights to ponder: typical Spinelli. (Fiction. 12-15)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-30667-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
The Phantom of the Opera served as inspiration, but this wouldn’t last on Broadway.
Stephanie and her family move into an old mansion rumored to have been put under a curse after a turn-of-the-20th-century rich boy meddled with an Egyptian mummy.
After her young sister complains about strange events, high school student Stephanie befriends Lucas, a geeky, good-looking boy, and meets the other members of SPOoKy, the Scientific Paranormal Organization of Kentucky: Charlotte, Wes, and Patrick. Stephanie learns the history of her new home from Lucas, who attracts her romantic attention, but the usually levelheaded girl is soon drawn to Erik, the handsome phantom who first comes to her in dreams. The story is told in chapters narrated by Stephanie, Lucas, and Zedok, whose identity is initially a source of confusion to Stephanie. Zedok appears wearing different masks, “personified slivers” of his soul, representing states of mind such as Wrath, Madness, and Valor. Meanwhile, until gifted singer Stephanie came along and he could write songs for her, Erik’s dreams were thwarted; he wanted to be a composer but his family expected him to become a doctor. In the gothic horror tradition, Erik’s full background and connection with Zedok are slowly revealed. Romantic dream sequences are lush and swoon-y, but the long, drawn-out battle to end the curse, aided by a celebrity clairvoyant, is tedious, and the constant introduction of Erik’s different personae is confusing. Most characters default to White; Patrick is Black.
The Phantom of the Opera served as inspiration, but this wouldn’t last on Broadway. (Horror. 13-16)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11604-3
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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