There’s romantic angst aplenty but little else to keep readers invested in either story or characters
Bennett mooches around his family’s high-end San Francisco house in 2012, waiting for his girlfriend, Anna, to return to Evanston, Ill., from her summer in Mexico—in 1995.
Bennett uses his amazing, inexplicable ability to travel through time to visit Anna in a series of trips that can’t feel anything but futile. With 17 years between them, how can this romance survive? Anna’s parents, ignorant of Bennett’s abilities, become increasingly resentful of his seemingly cavalier treatment of their daughter. If he can’t stick around, why doesn’t he just leave her alone? And why does Anna put up with it? Meanwhile, in 2012, Bennett begins to use his talent the way his father always wanted him to: to correct senseless tragedies. Remarkably, he feels great after these interventions, not drained and afflicted by migraines the way he usually does after traveling back through time. Conversely, his returns from visits to Anna are becoming increasingly bloody and debilitating. Bennett serves as present-tense narrator of this sequel, describing his various agonies, physical and emotional, as he continues to pursue this hopeless relationship. Once again, Stone fails to provide readers with a solid understanding of Bennett’s singular ability, seemingly changing the rules to suit her plot and characters—up to and including an apparently impossible resolution.
There’s romantic angst aplenty but little else to keep readers invested in either story or characters . (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4231-5960-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2013
A smart, timely outing.
Two teens connect through a mysterious podcast in this sophomore effort by British author Oseman (Solitaire, 2015).
Frances Janvier is a 17-year-old British-Ethiopian head girl who is so driven to get into Cambridge that she mostly forgoes friendships for schoolwork. Her only self-indulgence is listening to and creating fan art for the podcast Universe City, “a…show about a suit-wearing student detective looking for a way to escape a sci-fi, monster-infested university.” Aled Last is a quiet white boy who identifies as “partly asexual.” When Frances discovers that Aled is the secret creator of Universe City, the two embark on a passionate, platonic relationship based on their joint love of pop culture. Their bond is complicated by Aled’s controlling mother and by Frances’ previous crush on Aled’s twin sister, Carys, who ran away last year and disappeared. When Aled’s identity is accidently leaked to the Universe City fandom, he severs his relationship with Frances, leaving her questioning her Cambridge goals and determined to win back his affection, no matter what the cost. Frances’ narration is keenly intelligent; she takes mordant pleasure in using an Indian friend’s ID to get into a club despite the fact they look nothing alike: “Gotta love white people.” Though the social-media–suffused plot occasionally lags, the main characters’ realistic relationship accurately depicts current issues of gender, race, and class.
A smart, timely outing. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-233571-5
Page Count: 496
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart.
After praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic.
When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love—and his potentially lethal kisses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity; readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White; there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.
A lushly written story with an intriguing heart. (map) (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26839-6
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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