An ambitious, action-filled adventure that chronicles one girl’s rebellion and the world-shaking revelations that follow
An outcast discovers new worlds in the old one’s wreckage.
With her parents taken by the last wave of hemorrhagic Red Death, 12-fingered Leica strives to protect her sisters, Lotus and Taschen. Citizens of Pleiades must exchange all Finds from the ruins of the Colony on planet Gabriel for food from the bio-suited Curadores, who live in the decadent but decaying Dome. Caught with contraband and banished to the wastelands, Leica encounters other exiles…and overhears a radio message that may be from Earth. Seeking redemption, reunion with her sisters, and answers about the Red Death, Leica infiltrates the Dome, posing as a Kisaeng (a sort of geisha/concubine) to the dashing but increasingly deranged black Curador Edison, rallying the women, and struggling with the consequences of revolt. Despite the requisite love triangle—here, among Leica, Edison, and Edison’s identical brother, Nikola—and Chosen-One agonizing, through adversity and new alliances, Leica emerges as a compelling, body-positive heroine of color who capitalizes on her strengths and celebrates diversity. Etienne delivers a dystopian tale that deftly dissects stories—fairy tales, religious creation myths, political conspiracies—and develops a richly layered world drawn from such disparate cultures as Korean and Mexican.
An ambitious, action-filled adventure that chronicles one girl’s rebellion and the world-shaking revelations that follow . (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-25669-1
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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