Not even time itself can stop Camryn Kingfisher from saving the universe and the people she loves in Hughes’ debut novel.
Two weeks after an explosion that killed 5,000 people at the Fort Wells Army Base, Agency for Scientific Advancement Division, Camryn wakes up in the hospital. No one else survived the blast except a teenage scientist who calls himself Quint. He remembers nothing about his past before the bomb, and, to make matters more complicated, only Camryn can see him. Although Quint is Camryn’s sole ally against the Agency, which is accusing Camryn’s dead mother of terrorism, he also has motives of his own. This stand-alone, high-action, science-fiction thriller starts with a bang and never slows for a beat. Camryn, who has Panic Disorder, learns to manage her anxiety to accomplish her goals by acknowledging her feelings rather than fighting them. Major characters are assumed white except for Dr. Evette Lila, a black woman who threatens to dox Camryn unless she cooperates with the Agency. A simmering romance with Quint tests Camryn’s beliefs when she discovers the true identity of the Agency bomber. Overall, plot twists, flashbacks, and alternate timelines keep the story full of surprises.
A wild, fast-paced ride full of unexpected turns. (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62414-597-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
Categories: TEEN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEEN MYSTERY & THRILLER
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BOOK REVIEW
Clare’s (Ghosts of the Shadow Market, 2019, etc.) latest is set in the Shadowhunter world in the 20th century’s first decade (with frequent flashbacks to the previous one).
Teenage offspring of the Herondales, Carstairs, Fairchilds, and other angel-descended Nephilim continue their families’ demon-fighting ways amid a round of elegant London balls, soirees, salons, picnics, and romantic intrigues. James Herondale, 17-year-old son of Will and Tessa, finds himself and his “perfectly lethal dimple” hung up between two stunning new arrivals: Cordelia Carstairs, red-haired Persian/British wielder of a fabled magic sword, and Grace Blackthorn, an emotionally damaged but (literally, as the author unsubtly telegraphs) spellbinding friend from childhood. Meanwhile, a sudden outbreak of demonic attacks that leave more and more Shadowhunters felled by a mysterious slow poison plunges James and a cohort of allies into frantic searches for both a cause and an antidote. Ichor-splashed encounters with ravening boojums and even one of hell’s own princes ensue—all leading to final hints of a devastating scheme to destroy the Nephilim in which James himself is slated to play a central role. Characters have a range of skin tones, but ethnic diversity adds no texture to the portrayals; there is a lesbian cousin who wears traditionally male clothing and two young gay men (one tortured, the other less so).
Busy, busy, busy…with portents of doom. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3187-3
Page Count: 624
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Jan. 23, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Categories: TEEN FICTION | TEEN HISTORICAL FICTION | TEEN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
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Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
Categories: TEEN FICTION | TEEN DYSTOPIAN FICTION | TEEN SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
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