Savvy writing begets effervescent characters in this futuristic saga, with a gratifying conclusion in every respect.
In this final chapter of a YA sci-fi trilogy, a precognitive teen fights to prevent a genocide—at her mother’s hands—and falls for a boy destined to be her murderer.
Olivia’s not a typical 17-year-old in futuristic North Amerie; that’s the age others see a glimpse of their future. But Olivia, daughter of Chairwoman Dresden, who heads the governing entity, Committee of Agencies, is precognitive. She’s spent a decade in an isolated cabin, building mental walls to block the flood of millions of people’s futures. She can see the various paths individuals may take, including her mother’s potential execution of children receiving mediocre future memories. This is why Jessa Stone is the chairwoman’s personal assistant; she betrayed her family, part of the anti-ComA Underground, to get close to Dresden and stop her. When the Future Memory Agency captures Jessa’s childhood best friend, thoroughly muscled Ryder Russell, agents forcibly extract his future memory, in which he kills Olivia. Regardless, Olivia, aware of Jessa’s plan, is determined to help and aids in Ryder’s escape. Not surprisingly, he has trouble trusting her, as do his loved ones in the Underground. As the teens’ mutual affection grows, however, they ultimately face another threat—a virus that could destroy everyone in the world. As in the preceding books, Dunn’s (Remember Yesterday, 2016, etc.) genuinely romantic scenes are adorned in ardent prose: Olivia’s astonished that she has “such soft feelings for such a hard boy.” But Olivia, like earlier protagonists (including Jessa), is keen and resourceful. She’s especially appealing for overcoming her nickname, Shadow, known as the girl merely observing without taking action. The third entry addresses and expounds on numerous series questions, from insight into what the chairwoman’s been doing (scores of murders and torture) to the origin of Olivia’s ability. Reading the first two novels isn’t a necessity but does enhance the whole experience, particularly with so many returning characters and plot twists that link the entire trilogy.
Savvy writing begets effervescent characters in this futuristic saga, with a gratifying conclusion in every respect.Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-63375-818-6
Page Count: 300
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Oct. 24, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A thrilling romance that could use more even pacing.
For the second time in her life, Leo must choose between her family and true love.
Nineteen-year-old Princess Leonie Kolburg’s royal family is bankrupt. In order to salvage the fortune they accrued before humans fled the frozen Earth 170 years ago, Leonie’s father is forcing her to participate in the Valg Season, an elaborate set of matchmaking events held to facilitate the marriages of rich and royal teens. Leo grudgingly joins in even though she has other ideas: She’s invented a water filtration system that, if patented, could provide a steady income—that is if Leo’s calculating Aunt Freja, the Captain of the ship hosting the festivities, stops blocking her at every turn. Just as Leo is about to give up hope, her long-lost love, Elliot, suddenly appears onboard three years after Leo’s family forced her to break off their engagement. Donne (Brightly Burning, 2018) returns to space, this time examining the fascinatingly twisted world of the rich and famous. Leo and her peers are nuanced, deeply felt, and diverse in terms of sexuality but not race, which may be a function of the realities of wealth and power. The plot is fast paced although somewhat uneven: Most of the action resolves in the last quarter of the book, which makes the resolutions to drawn-out conflicts feel rushed.
A thrilling romance that could use more even pacing. (Science fiction. 16-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-328-94894-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
Unexamined toxic masculinity makes this romance anything but.
A girl’s strained relationships with two brothers causes strife in this trilogy opener by Argentinian author Ron that’s translated from Spanish.
In the small American town of Carsville, Kamila Hamilton was friends with her neighbors the Di Bianco brothers. Taylor was Kami’s constant, kind companion; older brother Thiago grew increasingly antagonistic. When she was 10 and a half and he was 12, Thiago coerced Kami into her first kiss. Following the revelation of a family secret, the Di Biancos moved away, but a restraining order against Thiago led them to return to their old home after eight years without contact. But 20-year-old Thiago’s new job as assistant basketball coach at the high school where Taylor is on the team and 17-year-old Kami is a cheerleader brings the white-presenting trio into close contact, leading to tense confrontations over past events. Thiago and Kami’s interactions are marked by antagonism and lust (Thiago: “Accumulated rage, bitterness, hatred, and arousal….I could have taken her then and there, not even thinking of the consequences”; Kami: “I felt like a small, defenseless animal being hunted by a beast”). The softer and more empathetic Taylor tries to smooth things over. Thiago’s abuse of power—he uses his role as coach to confront and bully Kami—is uncomfortable and feels like a misguided attempt by the pair to process their traumatic history, which Ron purposefully reveals, making this overall read more cringeworthy than romantic.
Unexamined toxic masculinity makes this romance anything but. (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781464234279
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
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