In a story worthy of Hollywood, 15-year-old Ruby moves to LA to join her estranged father, the movie star Whip Logan, when her mother dies. The grieving Ruby, given the fulfillment of many a teen’s fantasies, is nothing but sullen at being wrenched away from her Boston home and friends and plunked into the middle of the celebrity district of Beverly Hills with a father she’s never known. Short, stream-of-consciousness free-verse poems make up most of the narrative, by turns bathing readers in Ruby’s emotions and treating them to very sharp, very funny observations about LA. It’s a hugely artificial form, but its free acknowledgment thereof (“my life better not turn out to be like one of those hideous books where the mother dies and so the girl has to go live with her absentee father . . . ”) allows the text, and Ruby, to explore the possibilities behind the fantasy. Ruby’s eventual adjustment and her rapprochement with her father (cue the violins) will come as no surprise to readers but, hey—this is Hollywood after all, and sometimes a happy ending is exactly what we need. (Fiction. 12+)
Pub Date: May 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-689-85820-5
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004
Love deserves a standing ovation in this multilayered exploration of what it truly means to feel seen.
A stage manager and his sister both develop a crush on the same guy.
Everyone thinks juniors and longtime queer platonic besties Jackson and Bowie should date. But Iranian and white Jackson, who’s deaf, must constantly triage his sister Jasmine’s relationship woes by making breakup lists that extol her exes’ worst qualities. When white, “classically handsome” swimmer Liam auditions for the fall musical, trouble ensues when both Jackson and Jasmine start crushing on him. Jasmine pursues Liam first, making Liam “absolutely, 100 percent off limits.” But Liam keeps tucking in Jackson’s shirt tags. He also starts learning sign language from Bowie, a nonbinary, Black, aromantic, and asexual child of deaf adults. Liam hopes this will help them communicate better, a meaningful action and something Jackson’s family hasn’t put much effort into. What’s a boy to do? This sweet, slow-burn sibling love triangle with an added sprinkling of family drama rivals Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper (2020) in its cuteness and appeal. Countless references show an insider’s knowledge of—and reverence for—high school theater. The strong first-person narration immerses readers in Jackson’s story, and the use of “somethingsomething” effectively conveys times when Jackson, who wears hearing aids and reads lips, misses dialogue. The supporting characters bring additional diversity in race and queer identity.
Love deserves a standing ovation in this multilayered exploration of what it truly means to feel seen. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593616390
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
Simmering with internal conflict and well-devised courtly scheming—but readers new to the series had best start with Book 1.
The “lightning girl” who once led a revolution now toils, powerless and imprisoned, in this continuation of the Red Queen series.
After turning herself over in exchange for the lives of her friends, Mare Barrow becomes King Maven’s puppet. She waits, locked in a room, her lightning drained by Arvens—Silvers who leach power. But Maven has grander plans for her. And if she wants to keep the newbloods safe, she must comply. Mare broadcasts a lie that she willingly surrendered herself to the king after the Scarlet Guard forced her into servitude. She paints the Scarlet Guard as murderers, paving the way for Maven to offer refuge to newbloods in hopes of amassing an army. Otherwise, he’ll just keep hunting them. Political machinations rumble while both the king and the Scarlet Guard form new alliances. As Mare bides her time, she confronts uncomfortable feelings for Maven—she’s his greatest weakness, but can she kill him? Complementing Mare’s narration, Cameron, a newblood, relates the movements of the Scarlet Guard, and Evangeline, Maven’s betrothed, offers insight into the deadly House Samos. Few bursts of action stir up this slow-burning installment, allowing the dizzyingly large fleet of characters room to gain new depth. Mare’s romantic entanglements shift and sizzle, but the true intrigue lies in the ever expanding war for the crown as the players grow and change games. Aside from dark-skinned Cameron, the principal cast appears to be white, although the caste system based on the distinctions between Red and Silver blood holds more sway in this fantasy world than race.
Simmering with internal conflict and well-devised courtly scheming—but readers new to the series had best start with Book 1. (Fantasy. 13-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-231069-9
Page Count: 528
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
© Copyright 2026 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.
