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
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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
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