Next book

THE INFINITE SEA

From the 5th Wave series , Vol. 2

A roller-coaster ride of a sequel.

When aliens attack: the end of the world as we know it.

Book 1 of Yancey’s series saw 95 percent of the human population wiped out in a brutal alien attack that coordinated tsunamis, a horrific plague and teen soldiers bent on murdering any survivors. Just when readers might think it couldn’t get worse, it does: The extraterrestrials bent on taking over Earth are now implanting carbon-dioxide–triggered bombs inside the throats of young children in order to wipe out any survivors. The first are easily extinguished in the prologue in an ominous tableau that no doubt is meant to foreshadow what will befall Cassie, Ben and the teen survivors from The 5th Wave (2013). What follows is a terse, streamlined volume packed with action and violence that will keep readers on the edges of their seats. At first it’s hard to distinguish which character is narrating each sequence, particularly since Ringer, a secondary character in the first installment, takes over much of the page count in this installment. Her nickname says it all: She’s tough, fearless, an expert marksman and a survivor—and the bad guys particularly have it in for her. Everything culminates in a 180-degree reversal that turns the series’ cosmos on its end and will no doubt have readers impatiently screaming for the third.

A roller-coaster ride of a sequel. (Science fiction. 14-18)

Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-399-16242-8

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2014

Next book

SOME MISTAKES WERE MADE

A powerful tale of found family and first love.

After a year away, Ellis returns home to confront her past.

Graduating from high school far from everything familiar was not part of Ellis Truman’s original plans, but she nevertheless ended up spending her senior year with her aunt in California. In Indiana, Ellis practically grew up with the Albrey family and their three tightknit sons, Dixon, Tucker, and Easton. Now, Tucker wants her to return home for matriarch Sandry Albrey’s 50th birthday celebration on the Fourth of July—but Ellis is dreading seeing Easton, as they haven’t talked since she left. Chapters alternate between past and present, and much of the story unravels slowly: How did she come to live with the Albreys? What caused Ellis to then end up in San Diego? What happened in her relationship with Easton? Patient readers will find the heartfelt tension pays off. With her father in and out of jail and an absent mother, socio-economic differences separating Ellis from the middle-class Albreys don’t go unnoticed, and Ellis’ down-to-earth journey shows how she unpacks her feelings about her relationship with her parents. The slow-build romance is swoonworthy, and young adult fans of Colleen Hoover seeking emotional devastation and unforgettable characters will find much to enjoy here. Characters read as White.

A powerful tale of found family and first love. (Fiction. 14-18)

Pub Date: May 10, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-06-308853-5

Page Count: 384

Publisher: HarperTeen

Review Posted Online: Jan. 10, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 19


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • Kirkus Reviews'
    Best Books Of 2016


  • New York Times Bestseller

Next book

SCYTHE

From the Arc of a Scythe series , Vol. 1

A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.

Awards & Accolades

Likes

  • Readers Vote
  • 19


Our Verdict

  • Our Verdict
  • GET IT


  • Kirkus Reviews'
    Best Books Of 2016


  • New York Times Bestseller

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 25, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016

Close Quickview