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WANDERING STAR

Name: WANDERING STAR
Author: Romina Russell
ISBN: 978-1-59514-743-1

From the Zodiac series , Vol. 2

by Romina Russell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 8, 2015

A thematically powerful ride.

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While threats still loom after Zodiac (2014), vilified Rho must pick up the pieces.

On a Cancrian colony on the surface of the Capricorns’ planet, Rho is haunted by both the deaths she’s seen and the ones she feels responsible for, as well as dealing with the dramatic reversal of public opinion toward her. She also learns the reason why the armada fell apart: sabotage by Risers, those born in one House who shift to another. Furthermore, the Riser population is rising. The Risers—mentioned in the first book—become a major plot point here, leading to thought-provoking dilemmas about how to handle violence coming from oppressed minorities. Rho—still flawed and nuanced, a delightfully conflicted reluctant leader—struggles to find her voice again after having been so thoroughly shut down. Making it difficult is what she has to report: nemesis Ophiuchus reaches out to her with a terrible warning, as well as an offer, and Rho doesn’t know if she should trust him. She doesn’t have much time to decide; terrorist group Marad is ramping up the violence and the brutality. While this story unfolds, Rho pieces her way through the Trinary Axis chapter of Zodiac history that was hinted at as terrible in the first installment, finding parallels that help shape her character development. After twists, action, and heartbreak, the ending sets up the next in the series.

A thematically powerful ride. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

Pub Date: Dec. 8, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-59514-743-1

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin

Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

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AFTERLOVE

by Tanya Byrne ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 27, 2022

A heartfelt and emotional queer romance with a fresh paranormal twist.

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Not even death can stop the love between two 16-year-old girls in Brighton, England, when one becomes a grim reaper.

Ashana Persaud, an Indo-Guyanese British girl, attends Whitehawk, a state school with a bad reputation. White redhead Poppy Morgan goes to posh Roedean. They meet when both are on school trips and hit it off right away, falling in love and planning their future. But when Ash dies on New Year’s Eve, she transforms into a grim reaper, working alongside two other teenage grim reapers to lead newly departed souls to Charon and his boat. They must avoid anyone they knew when they were alive, and they can only be seen in their previous, living forms by people who are about to die. Ash desperately wants to see Poppy again, but when she finally does, Poppy recognizes her. Ash’s new goal becomes to save Poppy from her impending fate even as the pair relish this second chance. The novel is split into two main sections, “Before” and “After.” Both are compelling, although they feel disjointed as readers meet several new characters in the latter half while Ash’s friends and family from the first part are sidelined. Still, it’s the romance that drives the story, and Ash and Poppy are so full of heart. Their feelings for each other are big and overwhelming, and this is an endearing and realistic representation of first love.

A heartfelt and emotional queer romance with a fresh paranormal twist. (Paranormal romance. 14-18)

Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-250-86561-8

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Godwin Books

Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT PARANORMAL & SUPERNATURAL | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

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RED HOOD

by Elana K. Arnold ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 25, 2020

A timely and unabashedly feminist twist on a classic fairy tale.

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Sixteen-year-old Bisou Martel’s life takes a profound turn after encountering an aggressive wolf.

Following an embarrassing incident between Bisou and her boyfriend, James, after the homecoming dance, a humiliated Bisou runs into the Pacific Northwest woods. There, she kills a giant wolf who viciously attacks her, upending the quiet life she’s lived with her Mémé, a poet, since her mother’s violent death. The next day it’s revealed that her classmate Tucker— who drunkenly came on to her at the dance—was found dead in the woods with wounds identical to the ones Bisou inflicted on the wolf. When she rescues Keisha, an outspoken journalist for the school paper, from a similar wolf attack, Bisou gains an ally, and her Mémé reveals her bloody and brave legacy, which is inextricably tied to the moon and her menstrual cycle. Bisou needs her new powers in the coming days, as more wolves lie in wait. Arnold (Damsel, 2018, etc.) uses an intriguing blend of magic realism, lyrical prose, and imagery that evokes intimate physical and emotional aspects of young womanhood. Bisou’s loving relationship with gentle, kind James contrasts with the frank exploration of male entitlement and the disturbing incel phenomenon. Bisou and Mémé seem to be white, Keisha is cued as black, James has light-brown skin and black eyes, and there is diversity in the supporting cast.

A timely and unabashedly feminist twist on a classic fairy tale. (Fantasy. 14-18)