There’s nothing tongue-in-cheek here; just terror, sturdy characters, and unadulterated entertainment.
The only way for teens to free a condemned soul and prevent their own damnation is to endure seven levels of hell’s infernal game in Lo’s (The Red Lantern Scandals, 2013, etc.) chilling YA horror novel.
Five high schoolers defy the Halloween night curfew in Deer Creek, Kansas, to see the reputed Gateway to Hell at the local church cemetery. But Jake, Kristin, and twin siblings Ashley and Ashton are horrified when bullied Ronnie is pulled away by giant black hands. Two years later, the teens each receive a letter from “The Gamemakers.” They have a choice: win a game and free Ronnie’s soul; don’t play and get a guaranteed pass to hell. And for good measure, a 666 seared onto the backs of their necks validates the game’s legitimacy. They must participate in a bizarre scavenger hunt and locate tokens before their time is up; failure means eternal damnation. The first half of the novel is a solid thriller hitting on relevant social issues. Ronnie is a perpetual victim of bullies, and mean-girl Ashley assures his popularity if he goes into the church. Afterward, when the boy dies, one of the group heads to juvie for murder—while others from affluent families remain free. In the second half, Lo cranks up the terror. An initially subtle religious theme becomes explicit once the game begins, but it’s never heavy-handed. The Seven Deadly Sins, for example, are key components of the game’s seven levels. They’re abundantly clear at first—gluttony’s a part of the cringe-worthy opening level (there’s a lot of slimy, slithering eels)—but are harder to pinpoint as the game continues. Lo deepens the tale with a basic explanation of the game and its origins. The unseen baddies, however, lose a bit of their edge once we see their perspective: they form a council and are upset that someone may be helping the teen players. But Lo churns out genuine frights and unremitting suspense along the way, while a number of turns, including characters’ fates, are irrefutably startling.
There’s nothing tongue-in-cheek here; just terror, sturdy characters, and unadulterated entertainment.Pub Date: Dec. 24, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-615-66163-6
Page Count: 268
Publisher: Willow 43 Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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