An important and heartfelt contribution to contemporary teen lit about queer women: hopeful, realistic, and romantic,...
A diverse story of first times and finding oneself.
Black 15-year-old Aki feels as though everything about her life is hypothetical: she’s “a hypothetical musician…a hypothetical Christian [and] a hypothetical teenager”—and, she feels, hypothetically bisexual. She’s not sure about everything, but she does know she’s ready to start acting on her “hypothetical” sexuality, even as she is hesitant to step out of the closet. When she signs up, along with her 19-year-old brother and her youth minister father, for a monthlong service trip to Mexico for Holy Life church youth groups, she and her best friend make a pact: “hook up with someone…three times” before the end of the trip. When she sparks with white, artsy, pansexual, and deeply closeted Christa, Aki is beyond eager to dive into new and exciting firsts. Occasional Forever…-like didacticism slips in now and again, with teen characters educating one another on intricacies of LGBTQ identities and attractions as well as researching and seeking out dental dams and other protection. However, these moments provide welcome information and discussions rarely seen in books for teens (or in public school sex education). Aki’s first-person narration rings true, and her simultaneous comfort with and concerns about her sexuality—and other parts of her identity—feel realistic and authentic. Her faith is portrayed positively, with respect and nuance not often seen in books for teens generally, let alone one with a queer protagonist.
An important and heartfelt contribution to contemporary teen lit about queer women: hopeful, realistic, and romantic, Talley’s newest is sure to satisfy . (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-373-21198-2
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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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