This superlative family drama boasts a first-rate cast and paranormal touches.
In Starace’s debut YA novel, a teen uses his special ability to give others the courage they need.
For years, 16-year-old Adam Decker has stayed mum about his scary dreams, in which he seems to inhabit someone else’s body and become a voice inside their head. The scariest part is the way these dreams seem so real; when he guides a boy out of a burning building, the story makes the newspaper the next day. He finally confides in members of his extended family, who own an apple orchard in New York. It turns out Adam has a gift: He is psychically connecting to actual people experiencing fear and helping them to “do something heroic.” The situation may be as serious as a car crash or as prosaic as a girl suffering bullies at school. If he really tries, Adam can dream about a specific person—like a kid who’s recently gone missing. The author’s well-developed cast is this paranormal tale’s brightest light. Adam struggles with knowing how to help, since he can’t instantly fix problems through his psychic dreams; sometimes, he can’t do anything. He’s surrounded by vibrant characters with their own engrossing subplots: Adam’s cousin/best friend/roommate, Chris, is questioning his sexuality, and Adam’s older sister, Ellen, eyes a college that their parents may feel is too far from home. The story treats the psychic ability with subtlety, almost as if Adam gets mere glimpses into others' lives. Further details, however, prove riveting, as Adam learns he’s not the only gifted one and that his ability has the potential to harm him. Starace’s simple prose complements the brisk narrative, and Adam’s love of cinema gives him the perfect excuse to habitually cite older films most readers his age won’t know (“Did you ever see the original movie Night of the Living Dead? The one from the 60s? It’s in black and white and it’s scary as hell”).
This superlative family drama boasts a first-rate cast and paranormal touches.Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2021
ISBN: 9781737918905
Page Count: 314
Publisher: Fiddler's Bridge Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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