All things considered, it’s a disappointing denouement.
The third and final installment of the Otherkin series reunites readers with Dez and the other shifters at Morfael’s school for otherkin just six weeks after their bittersweet triumph over Ximon and the Tribunal (Othermoon, 2013).
Despite a passionate new love, Dez can’t seem to shake the feelings of guilt over Siku’s tragic death and Caleb’s disappearance. Torn between her love for two brothers and the desire to know with certainty who she truly is and where she belongs, Dez once again finds herself battling demons from the Othersphere and confronting newfound and sometimes difficult truths about her biological family. Of the three books in the series, this is by far the weakest. Steamy love scenes are few and far between. Intriguing relationships, like the burgeoning lesbian love affair between London and Amaris, are never explored in any sort of meaningful or satisfying manner. And after spending the two previous novels loving to hate the deliciously evil Ximon, readers anxious for one final, climactic confrontation with the leader of the Tribunal will be left disappointed. While fans of the series may be left longing for the novel that could have been, Dez’s quest to belong remains an intriguing plotline, and there are enough action sequences and otherworldly adventures to keep readers from giving out halfway through.
All things considered, it’s a disappointing denouement. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7582-9238-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Kteen
Review Posted Online: Dec. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2013
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter.
After a Nigerian British girl goes off to an exclusive boarding school that seems to prey on less-privileged students, she discovers there might be some truth behind an urban legend.
Ife Adebola joins the Urban Achievers scholarship program at pricey, high-pressure Nithercott School, arriving shortly after a student called Leon mysteriously disappeared. Gossip says he’s a victim of the glowing-eyed Changing Man who targets the lonely, leaving them changed. Ife doesn’t believe in the myth, but amid the stresses of Nithercott’s competitive, privileged, majority-white environment, where she is constantly reminded of her state school background, she does miss her friends and family. When Malika, a fellow Black scholarship student, disappears and then returns, acting strangely devoid of personality, Ife worries the Changing Man is real—and that she’s next. Ife joins forces with classmate Bijal and Benny, Leon’s younger brother, to uncover the truth about who the Changing Man is and what he wants. Culminating in a detailed, gory, and extended climactic battle, this verbose thriller tempts readers with a nefarious mystery involving racial and class-based violence but never quite lives up to its potential and peters out thematically by its explosive finale. However, this debut offers highly visually evocative and eerie descriptions of characters and events and will appeal to fans of creature horror, social commentary, and dark academia.
A descriptive and atmospheric paranormal social thriller that could be a bit tighter. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250868138
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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
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