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WATER'S BREAK

A bittersweet portrayal of humanity, resilience, and courage.

An alien invasion threatens the freedom of an entire civilization.

Nica would rather be honing her Guardian skills than taking on the responsibilities of leading the nuptial pod for Rissa, her older sister, who will be bonding with Jonnat. Nica’s father is the Head Guardian of the Olomi, an amphibian people who reside in the Deep, and she’s long dreamed of following in his wake. But when an alien force suddenly arrives, it shatters the world as she knows it. Rissa goes missing, along with many other Olomi. Jonnat and Nica team up to retrieve Rissa, but Nica is captured by TAL, one of the invading landwalkers. Enslaved with other abducted Olomi in harsh, dry conditions, Nica despairs as she’s forced to serve the cruel landwalkers, whose goal is the exploitative agricultural terraformation of the Olomi’s world. Horrifyingly, Nica and her friend Pescha have been selected for invasive medical tests. Nica manages to make friends and to find allies who will sacrifice everything for a chance to return to the Deep. Hansen captures both the beauty of water and the brutality of slavery. The environmentally harmonious lives of the Olomi sharply contrast with those of the enslavers, who seek to bend the planet to their will; the parallels with trans-Atlantic chattel slavery are abundantly clear (and reinforced by Olomi vocabulary that echoes Yoruba words). The ending sets up for a sequel that readers will anticipate. Characters are fantasy diverse in appearance.

A bittersweet portrayal of humanity, resilience, and courage. (Science fiction. 14-18)

Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2024

ISBN: 9798886050868

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Enclave Escape

Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024

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IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

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  • New York Times Bestseller

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.

Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.   (Fiction. 14 & up)

Pub Date: April 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

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POWERLESS

From the Powerless Trilogy series , Vol. 1

A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.

The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.

Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.

A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)

Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023

ISBN: 9798987380406

Page Count: 538

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023

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