While it fails to reinvent the genre, this action-packed ride through a grim but fascinating world should delight fans of...
A power-hungry government controls the populace through music, and one young woman accepts the formidable task of saving her family and helping to kick-start a revolution in this dystopian YA adventure.
Hanson’s debut novel, the first in a planned trilogy, takes place in the walled-off, steampunk city of Revinia, where all the inhabitants have devices called Singers implanted in their ears at birth. The machines ensure obedience to Revinia’s ruler, The Conductor, by transmitting a form of mental and emotional control called The Music. The heroine, Ronja, has been branded a Mutt, the lowest rung on the social ladder. She works as a driver on the underground train system, struggling to keep her ailing mother and two young cousins afloat. Destiny comes calling when she accepts a courier’s job, delivering a mysterious package to a member of an underground enclave of freedom fighters known as The Anthem. Among them, she learns, “Everything you have ever felt besides strict loyalty—love of a partner, hate of an enemy, terror, excitement, anxiety—all are muted by The Music. Every time your passions spike, they are beat down. You have lived your life shackled to a weightless iron ball.” Freed from her Singer, Ronja joins forces with Roark, one of the leaders of the Resistance, to convince her family to join the group and thwart The Conductor’s plan to unleash an even more crippling form of The Music upon the citizens of Revinia. The central premise of music as a mechanism of control works well here, and the plot moves at a snappy pace, introducing distinctive new characters nimbly throughout while adding shades of detail to more familiar ones. Ronja’s journey to adapt to a life as a rebel fighter while negotiating the repressed memories that emerge following the removal of her Singer is captivating and memorable. Although the protagonist’s evolution from guttersnipe to superhero in the novel’s last quarter feels like quite a sudden leap, it makes for supremely fun reading.
While it fails to reinvent the genre, this action-packed ride through a grim but fascinating world should delight fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent and leave many waiting impatiently for the sequel.Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-692-56983-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Calida Lux Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Some of the story covers familiar terrain, but bonus dramatic and paranormal elements give this winsome tale flavor.
In this YA supernatural debut, a teen’s death renders him a ghost, who finds romance, confronts demons, and wonders why his soul, unlike so many others, hasn’t moved on.
Eighteen-year-old Michael Andrews has a lot going for him. Co-captain of his high school basketball team, he’s set to play at the University of Pittsburgh, where his girlfriend, Melissa, will join him. He certainly couldn’t have anticipated his highway car accident, but is truly shocked when his spirit separates from his now-lifeless body. Invisible to family, he wanders to recognizable places until finally meeting Tom, another ghost. Tom teaches Michael about his spectral capabilities, like telepathic links with both the living and dead, and tells of the Elders, who essentially govern ghosts. The afterlife doesn’t seem so bad once Michael befriends and ultimately falls for Sarah McConnell, who’s been haunting a historical bed-and-breakfast for decades. But despite all of Tom’s help, Michael feels sure that his phantom pal is hiding something. Soon Michael has a run-in with a bona-fide demon who marks him, which, according to Tom, means the devil finds the teen a particularly important soul. Michael’s tormented by guilt over Melissa, especially with his newfound love for Sarah. But while he struggles to keep Sarah safe from demons’ relentless pursuit, he’s determined to know why he’s “stuck” in his phantasmal state. Much of the book doesn’t stray far from convention: Michael, transparent, can be sensed by babies and animals, and gradually learns how to catch the living’s attention (for example, moving objects). But Berliner’s touches give her novel innovation, including real-world connections, from events (Tom died during 9/11) to myriad late celebrities and historical figures whom Michael spots. There are likewise ghosts of creatures that aren’t necessarily human, as well as vampires, whose depravity, perhaps not surprisingly, is comparable to demons. Michael’s journey even entails a moral dilemma: he realizes too late that he should abide by the Elders’ rule of not interfering with the living when he believes Melissa’s in danger. Nevertheless, readers may be as frustrated as Michael when the ever-evasive Tom answers few questions, saving most explanations for the sequel.
Some of the story covers familiar terrain, but bonus dramatic and paranormal elements give this winsome tale flavor.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-9969724-1-3
Page Count: 332
Publisher: Teddy Blue Books
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A somewhat gangly YA tale that has definite appeal but doesn’t fully grow into its heritage.
Zyburo’s debut novel is a modern-day retelling of the Arthurian myth for a YA audience.
Miles Arthur is a scrappy foster kid who’s routinely used as a punching bag by his foster brother, Kay. Aside from that, though, his home life is about as close to paradise as it can get. He lives on a massive estate with a live-in maid and attends an exclusive private school. However, things start to change for Miles on the day of the state fair. He finally bests Kay in a fencing match; the girl he likes, Gwen, agrees to hang out with him; and he even wins a test-of-strength carnival game shaped like a sword in an anvil. Then things start to get weird: a crazy old man tells him that he’s Merlin, that Miles is King Arthur reincarnated, and that Gwen is Guinevere. He also informs Miles that unless he can find and retrieve the scabbard of the sword Excalibur within the next two weeks, Miles’ foster father will die. Miles must deal with this high-stakes quest on top of school, homework, skirmishes with his brother, and football practice while also trying not to embarrass himself in front of Gwen. Zyburo ably depicts the heightened reality of an overwhelmingly stressful young-adult life. The story also digs deeper into the Arthurian legend than many other derivative works do, which is commendable. However, it’s not a perfect melding; more often than not, the elements taken from the Arthur legend seem like stage dressing or a video-game skin. As a result, the feel of authentic Arthurian romance is frequently lost amid the background noise of the modern setting and contemporary teen dialogue. The quest element is fun, moves at a good pace, and keeps the plot churning, but it doesn’t quite make the story reach the heights of authentic Arthurian drama.
A somewhat gangly YA tale that has definite appeal but doesn’t fully grow into its heritage.Pub Date: April 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-942922-09-4
Page Count: 266
Publisher: Wee Creek Press
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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