Well-developed characters enliven this frightfest.
A teenager with strange abilities faces off against a demon in Alexander’s YA horror series-starter.
It’s 1990, and the Sanz family is moving into a new home in Virginia. When they first checked out the house,teenage Luke saw a figure with white eyes and bloody, scarred skin standing in one of the windows. However, he said nothing to his parents and two brothers. He’s long been able to see past and future events in his dreams or by touching people; his family member find it so unnerving that they avoid his touch, so he tries hard to suppress his ability, which results in anxiety. It isn’t any easier for him when he sees spirits, though; he even spies them at his new high school, and he can’t always distinguish them from living people. He quickly realizes that the creature haunting his new home is something that’s much more vicious than a spirit—it’s a demon who’s not only a danger to his family, but also to anyone that comes to visit the house. It’s looking to add more souls to those it’s already taken. Over the course of Alexander’s story, Luke proves to be a memorable protagonist; he’s an introvert by nature, but his long hair and habit of regularly working out to help his anxiety make him stand out at his new school. The author’s straightforward prose briskly moves from one tense scene to another as Luke’s uncontrollable visions hit without warning in public. Readers get a bit more insight into the demon than Luke does, although it remains a creepy mystery. The strong supporting cast give Luke several potential allies, including Luke’s dependable younger brother, Junior; his charming schoolmates Benji and Alyssa; and a centuries-old spirit who promises to be Luke’s guide, but proves to be much more. The final act delivers a satisfying wrap-up and a glimpse at where sequels may head next.
Well-developed characters enliven this frightfest.Pub Date: April 28, 2024
ISBN: 9798988636724
Page Count: 317
Publisher: Lansburg Media
Review Posted Online: July 10, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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