Loving, imperiled teens on a quest to topple big bad government, with a few good action sequences and a somewhat familiar...
Duffy’s (Spectral, 2015, etc.) novel sees teens combating evil in a futuristic age.
Desiree Six Haven, 16, lives in Tower, run by The Protectorate, which implants sensors in all citizens. “Six” indicates that Rae was born on the sixth day of the week, with a predetermined life span of 50 years (barring any difficulties). Her parents—Fours with a 40-year life span—are just months from mandatory termination. At bedtime, Tower’s residents enter the Dreamscape, which produces restful sleep free of nightmares associated with an era called the Manic Age. Though Desiree can’t stand the sight of blood, she is a “nurturer” in training to be a nurse and will soon be bound to her designated life mate, Asher, a former bully destined for civil service. After a power failure, Desiree’s childhood friend and protector, Darian One Sterling—who allegedly broke into a head Protectorate office and stole government files, then murdered his parents—escapes from Olympus Jail where he was to be punished for life with unending nightmares in the Terrorscape. On the run, Darian contacts Desiree. Initially resistant, she comes to trust him and question the status quo involving The Protectorate’s harshly unyielding stance, the brainwashing of citizens, and the fates of those known as the Unwanted. Though there are some intense scenes—as when “Noncompliant” neighbors Coral and Owen are strapped to stretchers in the Terrorscape—the novel shares elements with The Hunger Games: a supposedly benevolent government, manipulation and control of its citizenry, and televised punishment in an arenalike setting. Brave Darian and earnest Rae are a likable couple, and their rekindled affection takes a tenderly romantic turn as they struggle to survive and uncover the fates of “stolen” siblings (The Protectorate mandates one child per family). The story lacks the amperage and compellingly defiant heroine of The Hunger Games; instead, to move things along, it relies more on technological gadgetry (e.g., menacing fighter bots) and a budding romance. Though a sequel could be on the way, it’s unclear how and why an entire populace ceded personal freedom to avoid bad dreams when a sleeping pill would do.
Loving, imperiled teens on a quest to topple big bad government, with a few good action sequences and a somewhat familiar storyline.Pub Date: April 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-1622665228
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A love letter to fans who will forgive (and even revel in) its excesses and indulgences.
A long-awaited Twilight (2005) companion novel told from vampire Edward’s point of view.
Edward Cullen, a 104-year-old vampire (and eternal 17-year-old), finds his world turned upside down when new girl Bella Swan’s addictive scent drives a primal hunger, launching the classic story of vampire-meets-girl, vampire-wants-to-eat-girl, vampire-falls-in-love-with-girl. Edward’s broody inner monologue allows readers to follow every beat of his falling in love. The glacial pace and already familiar plot points mean that instead of surprise twists, characterization reigns. Meyer doesn’t shy away from making Edward far less sympathetic than Bella’s view of him (and his mind reading confirms that Bella’s view of him isn’t universal). Bella benefits from being seen without the curtain of self-deprecation from the original book, as Edward analyzes her every action for clues to her personality. The deeper, richer characterization of the leads comes at the expense of the secondary cast, who (with a few exceptions) alternate primarily along gender lines, between dimwitted buffoons and jealous mean girls. Once the vampiric threat from James’ storyline kicks off, vampire maneuvering and strategizing show off the interplay of the Cullens’ powers in a fresh way. After the action of the climax starts in earnest, though, it leans more into summary and monologue to get to the well-known ending. Aside from the Quileutes and the occasional background character, the cast defaults to White.
A love letter to fans who will forgive (and even revel in) its excesses and indulgences. (Paranormal romance. 12-adult)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-70704-6
Page Count: 672
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
Intertwined spectral and real worlds deliver double the thrills.
Leaving his actual body behind in prison, Smoke can move through the world as a ghost in this fantastic yet real portrait of a survivor seeking answers.
John “Smoke” Conlan has survived a brutal beating from his father, a murder conviction, and prison life. His uncanny ability evidently triggered by the beating, Smoke exists inside and outside the fictional Greater Denver Youth Offender Rehabilitation Center (unrealistically represented as a maximum security prison). Smoke keeps his physical body protected on the inside thanks to the balance of favors earned outside his body. On one such errand, he discovers that a young waitress at a seedy dive can actually see him. Smoke’s vivid present-tense narration is filtered according to his concerns. He insists that he is innocent of killing his favorite teacher but guilty of killing a fellow student in self-defense, keeping readers teetering between a belief that the punishment is justified and cheering Smoke on to fight for freedom. The narrative’s romance is chaste, and it tempers the intensity brought to the story by the threats of guards, fellow inmates, and outside criminals. Though the complex plot is based on an impossible premise, readers will be flipping the pages, watching the diverse cast (Smoke is white) race toward the climax.
Intertwined spectral and real worlds deliver double the thrills. (Paranormal suspense. 11-16)Pub Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4847-2597-9
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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