A strange and exceedingly creepy fever dream that doesn’t quite reach its potential
Two troubled foster siblings are drawn into a dark and twisted world where they’ll never have to be apart, but getting what they want comes at a terrible price.
The self-contained Ksenia Adderley, who is genderqueer, and 16-year-old free-spirited Josh Korensky, who is pansexual, are on their own while their foster parents, Mitch and Emma, are on vacation. Ksenia is almost 18, and their foster parents want to separate them and put a stop to a relationship they consider unhealthy. One night, the two come across a group of strange, feral teens who lead Josh into the shadows, where he disappears. Ksenia takes her own life soon after. But nothing is what is seems, and Josh and Ksenia now exist, together, in a place built on their emotions and the whims of otherworldly beings that seek to twist Ksenia’s and Josh’s pain to their will. Josh and Ksenia’s friend Lexi Holden is eventually drawn into their world and vows to help them escape. There is some clunky dialogue and the novel at times seems overlong, but Porter (Tentacle and Wing, 2017, etc.) weaves a tale that’s a bloody and imaginative horror/dark fantasy hybrid that explores obsessive love, self-determination, and loss. Unfortunately, that imagination only slightly makes up for a messy third act. Most characters are white except for Lexi, who is African American.
A strange and exceedingly creepy fever dream that doesn’t quite reach its potential . (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: March 19, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7653-9673-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Tor Teen
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2019
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy.
A war between gods plays havoc with mortals and their everyday lives.
In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85743-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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