A tribute to lovable losers, unlikely adventures, uncomfortable truths, and the will to move forward.
A 16-year-old underdog wanders a highway through Hell on a not-quite-hero’s journey.
A few pages into this first-person worldbuilding fantasy, Sam Sullinger is mortified by a candid photo album of humiliating photos shared online. Worse still: This isn’t unusual, as Sam’s life is defined by bullying. At school, ringleader Kyle McGee has tormented him since sixth grade; at home, his own father regularly belittles him. Two people have kept Sam afloat amid the anguish. Uncle Bear, his mother’s gay, worldly, wheelchair-using brother, captivated him with legends chronicled in The Books of Hell. Then there’s Harper James: smart, tough, and pretty, his lifelong defender and crush, and, in two weeks, off to Paris for a yearlong exchange program. Worried he’ll lose Harper forever, Sam develops a plan to tell her how he feels. It backfires spectacularly. When Harper disappears into an all-too-real Hell, Sam realizes help isn’t coming and follows, hoping to petition Stolas, a slave-turned–liberating king, for aid. While Hell is indeed hell, it also subverts his expectations. Sam forms a romantically tinged alliance with teen badass Hollinshead; comes to see demons as people rather than deities; and, most importantly, realizes The Books of Hell sold him falsehoods, especially about Stolas. Can Sam locate Harper, defeat Stolas, and find a way home—or has he exchanged one hell for another? Excluding demons, characters are Canadian and coded as white.
A tribute to lovable losers, unlikely adventures, uncomfortable truths, and the will to move forward. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4597-4675-6
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Dundurn
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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