A well-written tale with a luscious setting that would be more convincing and thrilling with more action in fewer pages.
A 7-year-old girl may be the key to a supernatural mystery that began in the Middle Ages.
Temporarily leaving Brighton behind, Penny and Gideon Mantell travel to Venice to work on an archaeological dig on the island of Lazzaretto. Their daughter, Venetia, who was conceived in Venice, accompanies them on the return to the city, which evokes pleasant memories for the family. Over several days, three large chests are found at sea, all with female corpses inside—one with a brick in her mouth, one shackled by chains and one buried with an ancient mirror that faces down. After enrolling Venetia in a local school, Penny concentrates on cleaning the mirror, which is kept in the Mantell residence. But the mirror has deleterious effects on Venetia, who claims to see visions in its glassy surface. She also starts sleepwalking and takes to playing with a puppet that shares her name, speaking in a squeaky voice as she manipulates it. Although untrained in foreign languages, she’s somehow able to recite Latin phrases that might be incantations. Gideon favors a rational approach, while Penny, increasingly unnerved by her daughter’s eccentricities, consults a medium for answers. The story promisingly begins in a convent with an intriguing prologue involving the mysterious Zancani family and a sexually charged ceremony with unholy roots dating back to the 1500s. Penny and Gideon are well-drawn characters, and the state of their union—sometimes solid, sometimes shaky—rings true. Venetia, however, is not always believable as a 7-year-old—she notices, for example, that individuals invoke the sign of the cross when looking at her, and she physically assaults an adult—but this could perhaps be attributed to the influence of a more advanced spirit-world entity. At times, the book’s font changes inexplicably; it’s unclear whether this signals a passage of particular note or a simple formatting error. The novel is highly atmospheric, filled to the brim with Venetian locales and lifestyles, yet it’s missing the peerless economy and wrenching gut-punch of Don’t Look Now. Occasionally, a creepy scene will bring about goose bumps, as when Penny sees Venetia hovering an inch off the ground, but getting to this payoff requires navigating pages of tame exposition that, while interesting, is more travelogue than thriller. A vague uneasiness pervades much of the book for a frustrating sense that something—a jolt foreshadowing terrors just around the corner—might happen, but the too-long wait undercuts suspense.
A well-written tale with a luscious setting that would be more convincing and thrilling with more action in fewer pages.Pub Date: June 26, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 330
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
