A gory, thought-provoking sequel mixing Dexter and John Wick and not for the faint-hearted.
Continues the violent misfortunes of two teens on the run for their lives.
Picking up right after Not Even Bones’ (2018) cliffhanger ending, Nita finds herself facing Fabricio, the boy who betrayed her to the black market, and revenge is all Nita thinks of. But Nita has even bigger problems now, as a video of her self-healing ability is on the dark web, marking her as a vulnerable target. When she realizes that to ensure her freedom she needs to send a message to her enemies not to mess with her, Nita turns to Kovit, the monstrous boy she both fears and likes. But even the best-laid plans have flaws….While the setting moves from Latin America to Canada, the story is still very much concerned with ongoing questions of nature, nurture, and accountability when it comes to one’s humanity—or one’s monstrosity, as the case may be. As Nita and Kovit grow closer to one another, the book never shies away from its characters’ psychopathic tendencies, with little respite from the graphic violence that they both endure and induce. Although there is little actual plot progression (the characters start and end the book in the same kind of danger), there is undoubtedly a strong character arc toward self-knowledge and self-determination for both protagonists. Both Nita and Kovit are brown skinned; Nita has a Chilean father and a nonhuman mother.
A gory, thought-provoking sequel mixing Dexter and John Wick and not for the faint-hearted. (Fantasy. 15-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-86355-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
An interesting premise unevenly executed.
Eighteen-year-old Venus Stoneheart is a witcher with a pain-filled past and an uncertain future.
In an alternate version of the greater Washington, D.C., metro area, Venus’ mother, the formidable Clarissa Stoneheart, used to be the Love Witcher. She broke her pledge to only brew love potions, lost her magic as a consequence, and then turned her attention to teaching Venus, the new Love Witcher, “her 3-B philosophy…Get your bag, brew, and bounce.” When Clarissa is murdered, Venus is tested to her limits as she fights external forces by using her calling (her magical ability to brew) for political gain while also struggling to quiet the deviation (or trauma-inflicted corruption of her calling) that infects her. The deviation, which she calls It, can give Venus access to immense power, but she’s still haunted, in more ways than she realizes, by the first time it was uncaged, when she was 15. The buildup to action takes some time, and the plot can be confusing to follow, given the digressions to explain the worldbuilding. Characters are alternately centered, pushed to the periphery, and then brought into focus again, seemingly in service of filling plot gaps but without necessarily moving the story forward. Patient readers will eventually encounter unexpected twists and turns that provide an exciting and satisfying ending. Recipes for potions readers can brew themselves deepen the pull into this witchery world.
An interesting premise unevenly executed. (content warning, author’s note, glossary) (Fantasy. 15-18)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781728251950
Page Count: 496
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
Only marginally intriguing.
In a remote part of Utah, in a “temple of excellence,” the best of the best are recruited to nurture their talents.
Redemption Preparatory is a cross between the Vatican and a top-secret research facility: The school is rooted in Christian ideology (but very few students are Christian), Mass is compulsory, cameras capture everything, and “maintenance” workers carry Tasers. When talented poet Emma disappears, three students, distrusting of the school administration, launch their own investigation. Brilliant chemist Neesha believes Emma has run away to avoid taking the heat for the duo’s illegal drug enterprise. Her boyfriend, an athlete called Aiden, naturally wants to find her. Evan, a chess prodigy who relies on patterns and has difficulty processing social signals, believes he knows Emma better than anyone. While the school is an insidious character on its own and the big reveal is slightly psychologically disturbing, Evan’s positioning as a tragic hero with an uncertain fate—which is connected to his stalking of Emma (even before her disappearance)—is far more unsettling. The ’90s setting provides the backdrop for tongue-in-cheek technological references but doesn’t do anything for the plot. Student testimonials and voice-to-text transcripts punctuate the three-way third-person narration that alternates among Neesha, Evan, and Aiden. Emma, Aiden, and Evan are assumed to be white; Neesha is Indian. Students are from all over the world, including Asia and the Middle East.
Only marginally intriguing. (Mystery. 15-18)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-266203-3
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
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