An astronaut tale with a recklessly brave, appealing hero but sometimes-faltering prose.
A 13-year-old aspiring space pilot joins a rescue mission to help a storm-damaged planet in this YA novel.
In her first adventure, 12-year-old Amy Sutter stole the Union spaceship Liberty Bell and rescued her father from the Crownaxians, an alien race whose leader wants to annihilate humanity. That was last year; now, back on her home planet, Paldor, Amy’s bold, fearless spirit keeps getting her into big trouble. Nevertheless, she and her friend Ethan are tapped to join a mission to help the planet Janar, where a huge storm wreaked destruction. On arriving, though, the team meets disaster. Terrorists kidnap Union soldiers, and Dr. Stanley Greenland, a scientist with a grudge against the Union, is building a robot army. Amy and her friends face enormous dangers that not everyone will survive as they investigate Greenland’s lab and work to free the hostages. Continuing the story in Amy the Astronaut and the Flight for Freedom (2013), Donahue draws a vivid picture of his irrepressible hero, who rises to every challenge—whether a space battle or a laser-pistol firefight. The plot offers exciting scenes of danger, battle, and hairbreadth escapes, with a chilling villain in Drelk, the Crownaxian leader, who admires Earth “visionaries....like Stalin, Hitler, Gaddafi, and Trump.” That said, the writing can be ungraceful, as in stilted, contraction-free conversations: “They are over there....They are sleeping now.” Some details are unnecessary and clunky, as in “she cleaned up the spilled water with a towel. She tossed the towel into a chute that led to a laundry bin.” And the 13-year-olds display implausibly intense romantic feelings, with Amy breaking into a sweat over an attractive alien boy and Ethan tightening his fists with rage over his “rival.”
An astronaut tale with a recklessly brave, appealing hero but sometimes-faltering prose.Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-948374-14-9
Page Count: 270
Publisher: Twin Sisters Press
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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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