Danger, intrigue, a dash of romance, and a good, hard look at ethical dilemmas—a pretty complete package.
What happens when your special talent is especially dangerous?
Jake’s ability to form a mental link to anyone he’s holding a personal possession of—what he calls “tunneling”—has always been a secret. Only his best friend and his dad knew, and now his dad’s dead. But when he tries to impress his friends by tunneling at a party, his secret escapes, and his entire life is soon overthrown by government agents who convince him that he has a duty to save lives. No longer free to live as a regular teenager, Jake only hopes that he can protect the people who mean the most to him—his mother and sister. An exciting plot paired with a sympathetic protagonist makes for a roller-coaster adventure that asks some big moral questions: Is it ethical to tunnel into another person’s mind, even to do good? Which is more important, the individual or the country? The action moves at a quick pace that fans of adventure fiction will appreciate while still leaving room for deeper contemplation. Toward the end of the book, convenient plot twists drive the action, but readers may not notice, caught up as they’ll be in the web of terror and deceit.
Danger, intrigue, a dash of romance, and a good, hard look at ethical dilemmas—a pretty complete package. (Paranormal thriller. 15-18)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-04792-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dunne/St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With introspection replacing battles, this extended epilogue gives breathing room between dramatic arcs but is best for...
A glimpse of the characters dealing with rebuilding and fallout after A Court of Wings and Ruin (2017).
In a change of pace from the usual epic struggle against powerful forces, this slimmer-than-usual volume follows the cast during the festive Winter Solstice holiday. Nods to trouble on the horizon (dissent in the Illyrian ranks, Fae courts eyeing for expansion, and a politically fraught situation among humans) remain distant, the lack of progress at times resulting in frustrating repetition. Cassian’s and Mor’s backstories are explored, and prickly Amren’s low-key relationship storyline is supplemented by her High Fae adjustments (including bodily humor). While Elain is becoming more comfortable, she still wants nothing to do with Lucien (who feels like an outsider nearly everywhere and has his hands full with a self-destructive Tamlin). Severely struggling Nesta self-medicates through alcohol, meaningless sex, pushing everyone away, and finding every last seedy corner of the otherwise utopian Velaris. While Rhys handles politics, Feyre’s storyline revolves around Solstice shopping and art’s potential for healing trauma—when the lovers aren’t telepathically sexting or craving each other. Aside from occasional minor characters, most of the inhuman cast seem white. Several plotlines are predictably resolved.
With introspection replacing battles, this extended epilogue gives breathing room between dramatic arcs but is best for readers who’d prefer downtime with the characters over high stakes. (map, preview of next title) (Fantasy. 16-adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-631-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
IN THE NEWS
An exciting read from start to finish.
The year is 2123; it has been 6 months since Noam helped overthrow the despotic government of Carolinia.
Lehrer is chancellor. Atlantian refugees are pouring into Carolinia. Noam is on a mission in the quarantined zone. Everything is far from OK. What Lehrer doesn’t know is that Noam remembers that Lehrer is the one responsible for everything: Lehrer, who is his teacher, mentor, and, now, lover. And then Dara—who should be dead, whom he sent off into the quarantined zone—walks right back into Noam’s life. Having taken the vaccine to save his life, Dara now finds himself without his powers and with a clear thirst for revenge. Fortunately, Noam wants to use his role as Lehrer’s protégé to help the resistance, but Dara and Noam have very different ideas of what that looks like. In a narrative that shifts between Noam’s and Dara’s perspectives, this book deals with complex issues including grooming, attempted rape, sex and sexuality, alcohol abuse, political ethics, and biological warfare. At times it feels as if the author is attempting commentary on too many things and the story might have had a stronger effect if it were more focused; however, it will leave fans of the first book satisfied. As before, there is diversity in ethnicity and sexual orientation in the cast.
An exciting read from start to finish. (maps, content notes, resources) (Dystopian science fiction. 15-18)Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5420-0508-1
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Skyscape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
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