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
A spectacular return to a magical world.
Following the events of Impossible Creatures (2024), a devoted Guardian teams up with a brave princess to fight her power-hungry uncle and save the Archipelago’s dragons from a strange new threat.
Jacques the dragon summons Christopher Forrester back to the Archipelago from the human world: Dragons are dying, and no one knows why. Meanwhile, on the island of Dousha, Princess Anya’s grandfather, King Halam, has been murdered, and her father accused—though she knows he’s innocent. When Christopher and Anya take refuge on the islet of Glimt, the Berserker Nighthand helps them see how their twin missions to save the dragons and free Anya’s father are connected. They work together to create an antidote for the poison that’s killing the dragons and to keep Anya and her father safe from her murderous uncle. Meanwhile, Nighthand and Irian, the part-nereid ocean scholar, pursue their own important secret mission. Divided into three parts—“Castle,” “Dragons,” and “Revenge”—and containing elements of fairy tales, fantasy, and Shakespeare, this story continues the storyline established in the series opener, yet because it introduces new characters and obstacles, it could also stand alone. Dark-blond Anya (“five feet tall and all of it claws”) is a match for white-presenting Christopher, who, though he still misses Mal, finds that “it made a difference to have someone to move through the world with again. A friend changed the feel of the universe.” Mackenzie’s delicate, otherworldly art adorns the text.
A spectacular return to a magical world. (map, bestiary) (Fantasy. 10-15)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780593809907
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
PROFILES
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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