This character-driven tale and its magical hero will leave readers craving a third outing.
In Fernandez’s YA fantasy novel, the second in a series, a teen who harbors powerful magic may be the child named in a dark prophecy.
High schooler Eva Blackwell, an orphan raised by nuns at an abbey, has long been capable of magic. She learned her magic’s true potential just two weeks ago, when she bested the fiendish Immortal One from another realm (the Veiled Land). Since then, she’s been plagued by vivid nightmares in which both her town, Fairhaven, and the Veiled Land are destroyed. Some believe she’s the prophesied one who will bring about the “final end to it all.” Does this mean Eva’s magic is too powerful? The Council, which oversees gifted people like Eva, seems intent on somehow suppressing the teen’s magic. Meanwhile, elements of her nightmares begin to carry over to her waking life. The Immortal One appears in her dreams, too, and warns Eva about a much more nefarious villain. As she struggles to trust even her allies, Eva must decide if the unorthodox plan proposed by the Immortal One will actually help protect her world. Fernandez’s sophomore series installment deftly fuses high school woes with fantasy hallmarks—distrust threatens Eva’s romance with schoolmate Tristan; he and his grandmother Greta, who both wield magic, may side with the Council over Eva’s unprecedented abilities. Eva’s narration generates much sympathy, since she tends to suffer quietly (she literally uses a spell to silence post-nightmare screams so as not to disturb her caretaker nuns). The unnerving dream sequences are the book’s highlights: “The edges of my vision began to cloud over and I had to crouch down, concentrate on breathing past the panic that threatened to suck me into darkness.” The story often feels transitional, however; Eva is still reeling from the previous novel’s aftereffects, and this particular narrative seems more invested in establishing the direction in which the ongoing series will head than in telling a complete story of its own.
This character-driven tale and its magical hero will leave readers craving a third outing.Pub Date: June 17, 2021
ISBN: 9780997261721
Page Count: 438
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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