When gods other than Baldur finally appear, things get interesting; maybe future installments will begin there.
When the god Baldur the Beautiful vanishes, can two teens rescue him and win their hearts’ desires?
In a country very like a modern America populated by Norse-descended followers of Odin and his pantheon, 17-year-old Soren struggles against his berserker heritage and the disgrace of his father’s having lost control in a shopping mall. At his school, Sanctus Sigurd, he meets seethkona Astrid Glyn, a prophetess who’s sure her world-famous mother’s not dead. The two set off across the United States of Asgard in hopes of finding Baldur, who did not rise from his ashes as he does at the end of each winter, and thereby winning a boon from Odin Alfather. Finding Baldur turns out to be the easiest part of their quest; the duo must find a way to return him to the gods without drawing attention to themselves, as no one knows who orchestrated the god’s disappearance, and the rest of the country wants him back too. Gratton’s series opener is a wordy, languid adventure dotted with slightly twisted retellings of Norse myths. The breathless internal conflicts and easily overcome external conflicts never quite ignite. It’s chock-a-block with cornball plays on American cultural and place names made slightly Norse-y.
When gods other than Baldur finally appear, things get interesting; maybe future installments will begin there. (Fantasy. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-307-97746-5
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Gripping and authentic in the ways it portrays grief and shows how moving forward means having to let go.
After her father dies, a teen drops out of high school, loses her job, and embarks on a four-week journey through the California backcountry.
Everyone in the Bear Creek Community Service program is assigned a nickname as part of starting over with “a blank slate.” No one needs to know your past or whether you’re there by choice or court order. All that matters is the present: working on hiking trail maintenance. For Atlas James, or Maps, as she’s now known, it’s an escape from the poor decisions she’s made since her father’s death from cancer and a tribute to him. One of his dying wishes was to hike the Western Sierra Trail with her—the same one she’ll now be spending the summer working on with Books, Junior, Sugar, and King. Maps is immediately drawn to group leader King, and as secrets are revealed, the two act as magnets, attracting and repelling one another. Maps’ tangible grief is centered as she copes with the loss of the only person who understood her and always had her back. Gradually, as they clear brush, dig drainage, and battle the backcountry and their pasts, a sense of family is forged among the crew. The palpable romantic tension between King and Maps propels this beautifully written story. Junior is coded Black; other major characters read white.
Gripping and authentic in the ways it portrays grief and shows how moving forward means having to let go. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2024
ISBN: 9780063088580
Page Count: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Thrilling, timely, and terrific.
Tragedy and heroism interweave in a story about revolution, resistance, and beautiful queer love.
After the devastating ending to We Set the Dark on Fire (2019), Carmen Santos, no longer the Segunda to Mateo Garcia, Medio’s most powerful heir, is on the run toward the La Voz headquarters. Carmen used to be one of the resistance’s most well-respected members, but after years away on undercover assignment, she finds the fabled El Buitre’s wavering leadership has taken a new, hazardous direction. Proving that her allegiance to the cause remains as strong as ever is more difficult than expected, her heart torn between her beliefs and Dani, the girl she has fallen in love with but doesn’t know yet if she can fully trust. Shifting perspective and setting to Carmen and the La Voz camp (after the first novel centered Dani and the capital) is a bold choice that ultimately pans out as readers are rewarded with Carmen’s strong, determined voice and Mejia’s lush writing depicting the complexities of the ongoing fight against oppression in a divided, Latinx-inspired world. Carmen’s divided heart rings true, her daring actions meeting deadly consequences that realistically intensify the narrative without losing track of what the fight is all about: equality for all. A second—and final—volume that not only surpasses the accomplishments of its celebrated predecessor, but takes it to a higher, brighter level.
Thrilling, timely, and terrific. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-269134-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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