A solid series entry that takes its characters in exciting new directions.
A team of feisty, superpowered teenagers fights to prevent a global war in this YA SF sequel to Extant (2019).
Newland follows up her solid debut with an even more engaging second installment, which starts with Natalie Morrigan, Tawney Davis, Owen Johnson, and Brant Smith on the run from the cultlike, totalitarian Nautilus organization. They’re currently holed up in a new safe house, a lighthouse called Ancora III, with their dogs, Enzo and Angie. They have no idea what happened to their friend Leo Merrick, and they’ve also lost their beloved mentor, Natalie’s uncle Christopher Reyes. Natalie struggles with her inability to control a unique, newfound time-traveling power known as “tacking,” and she also keeps a secret from her friends—that they’re all adopted—believing they need to hear the truth directly from their parents. However, Nautilus, bent on world domination, is still holding their parents hostage. When her friends insist on attending a large festival in Florida to blow off some steam, Natalie reluctantly agrees. When the event turns out to be a Nautilus recruiting fair, the four hatch a plan to infiltrate its headquarters by posing as new trainees. Meanwhile, Leo finds himself on the other side of the ocean, severely wounded and in the care of three strange sisters who have their own good reasons to hate and fear Nautilus. The narrative alternates between Natalie’s and Leo’s points of view, and the author deftly fills in the relevant background details while jumping right into the current action. Unexpected new angles on familiar characters and intriguing new players, with their own surprising secrets and quirks, add depth to the story. Plenty of action pulls the reader along, moving from the lighthouse to St. Augustine, Florida; Paris; Scotland; Iceland; and the Chesapeake Bay, and from Métro to bicycle to private jet. The plot avoids the open-ended middle-of-a-trilogy trap, providing a satisfyingly complete story arc while also building on the debut and setting up an intriguing premise for a third novel.
A solid series entry that takes its characters in exciting new directions.Pub Date: April 4, 2021
ISBN: 9781733345842
Page Count: 390
Publisher: Hiking Hedgehog Press, LLC
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
An unwieldy but emotionally intense fantasy.
In the Riew siblings’ debut, inspired by their Korean grandparents’ experiences during Japan’s early-20th-century colonization of Korea, a hunt is on for the last surviving tiger.
In the Tiger Colonies, this fantasy world’s version of occupied Korea, tigers have been nearly wiped out by the Dragon Empire. These oppressive rulers believe that tiger ki, or powers, strengthen the Tiger people, and therefore, the animals must be exterminated. Lee Seung, who’s from a poor Tiger family, works for the wealthy Chois, a Tiger family who collaborate with the Dragons. Choi Eunji might live in material comfort, but her home feels like “a cage” thanks to her parents’ high expectations and control of her every move. She offers to tutor Seung for the Adachi Training Academy’s entrance exam; graduates attain elite, powerful positions. In return he’ll help Eunji experience life outside her cloistered manor. Despite their class differences, both teens long for freedom, but Seung fails the exam, and their paths diverge. They reunite during a frantic search for the last tiger—but are their motivations aligned? Some plot developments feel contrived, and the introduction of real historical elements at times feels deliberately educational rather than naturally emerging from the story. Nevertheless, the story vividly highlights the plight of Koreans during a traumatic era.
An unwieldy but emotionally intense fantasy. (authors’ note, diary excerpts) (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9798217002047
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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