Shines with spooky Southern charm.
Following Beware the Wild (2014), Candy and the supernatural swamp have unfinished business.
Practical Candy, determined to leave small-town Southern life and bumpkin stigmas behind her, wants nothing to do with the supernatural happenings of the local swamp. But after her birthday—a strange family celebration, as Candy is the latest to be burdened with their family curse, in which a new bearer is born the same day the last one dies—the ghostly activity starts picking up. This frustrates supernatural-repellent Candy, the only one who can’t see ghosts or the Shine. It also lures in the King family, headed by a ghost-hunter television star and including three kids: a small child, a reckless teenage girl, and the prerequisite attractive new boy who will—as one does in paranormal novels—eventually warn Candy to stay away from him as he shouldn’t be trusted. Happily, the romantic storylines are secondary to Candy’s wonderful friendships and familial relationships. At a huge, fancy party thrown by the Kings, a spirit arrives and Candy banishes it, giving her an unwanted reputation and attracting attention, as the town is plagued by more and more ghosts. What to do? Ghost-handling fame would ensure that Candy would never be taken seriously anywhere else. Candy’s practical motivations combine with a witty, inventive narrative voice, creating one heck of a heroine.
Shines with spooky Southern charm. (Paranormal romance. 13 & up)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-224155-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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