Despite the racy subject matter, this is a slow-moving story with a disappointing lack of resolution.
In the mid-1990s, 17-year-old aspiring print journalist Patrick Sheridan from rural Texas is selected to be a student anchor on a news show broadcast into high schools nationwide in this reissue of a 1998 title.
Patrick's extremely strict adoptive Catholic parents (who have banished their older, biological daughter from their lives) reluctantly allow him to move to Los Angeles alone. When Patrick leaves Texas he is still a polite, God-fearing, and sincere young man—but he soon falls down the slippery slope of fame with sex, drugs, and alcohol. Realizing that the show is more about entertainment than journalism, Patrick becomes depressed and stops caring about life. While on assignment in Belfast, he runs away to his Grampa’s hometown of Kilbeg in the Republic of Ireland on a journey of self-discovery. However, the Irish interlude feels tacked on at the end and does not contribute meaningfully to the story. The book shows the impact of the Hollywood lifestyle not only on young stars, but also on the jaded and cynical adults who work there. It follows a white default, with racial, socio-economic, and sexual orientation diversity in secondary characters; a black female character is unfortunately portrayed in a highly stereotypical manner, bordering on caricature. Due to his complexion, Patrick believes that he may be biracial.
Despite the racy subject matter, this is a slow-moving story with a disappointing lack of resolution. (Fiction. 16-18)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3010-5
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship.
A battered girl and an injured rugby star spark up an ill-advised romance at an Irish secondary school.
Beautiful, waiflike, 15-year-old Shannon has lived her entire life in Ballylaggin. Alternately bullied at school and beaten by her ne’er-do-well father, she’s hopeful for a fresh start at Tommen, a private school. Seventeen-year-old Johnny, who has a hair-trigger temper and a severe groin injury, is used to Dublin’s elite-level rugby but, since his family’s move to County Cork, is now stuck captaining Tommen’s middling team. When Johnny angrily kicks a ball and knocks Shannon unconscious (“a soft female groan came from her lips”), a tentative relationship is born. As the two grow closer, Johnny’s past and Shannon’s present become serious obstacles to their budding love, threatening Shannon’s safety. Shannon’s portrayal feels infantilized (“I looked down at the tiny little female under my arm”), while Johnny comes across as borderline obsessive (“I knew I shouldn’t be touching her, but how the hell could I not?”). Uneven pacing and choppy sentences lead to a sudden climax and an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending. Repetitive descriptions, abundant and misogynistic dialogue (Johnny, to his best friend: “who’s the bitch with a vagina now?”), and graphic violence also weigh down this lengthy tome (considerably trimmed down from its original, self-published length). The cast of lively, well-developed supporting characters, especially Johnny’s best friend and Shannon’s protective older brother, is a bright spot. Major characters read white.
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship. (author’s note, pronunciations, glossary, song moments, playlists) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781728299945
Page Count: 626
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
A very full mixed bag.
In the sequel to Furyborn (2018), Rielle and Eliana struggle across time with their powers and prophesied destinies.
Giving readers only brief recaps, this book throws them right into complicated storylines in this large, lovingly detailed fantasy world filled with multiple countries, two different time periods, and hostile angels. Newly ordained Rielle contends with villainous Corien’s interest in her, the weakening gate that holds the angels at bay, and distrust from those who don’t believe her to be the Sun Queen. A thousand years in the future, Eliana chafes under her unwanted destiny and finds her fear of losing herself to her powers (like the Blood Queen) warring with her need to save those close to her. The rigid alternation between time-separated storylines initially feels overstuffed, undermining tension, but once more characters get point-of-view chapters and parallels start paying off, the pace picks up. The multiethnic cast (human versus angelic is the only divide with weight) includes characters of many sexual orientations, and their romantic storylines include love triangles, casual dalliances, steady couples, and couples willing to invite in a third. While many of the physically intimate scenes are loving, some are rougher, including ones that cross lines of clear consent and introduce a level of violence that many young readers will not be ready for. The ending brings heartbreaking twists to prime readers for the trilogy’s conclusion.
A very full mixed bag. (map, list of elements) (Fantasy. 17-adult)Pub Date: May 21, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-5665-4
Page Count: 608
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019
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