A fine, fitting end to a soulful series.
Teenager Chris Buckley makes his stand in the town of Solitary in the fourth and final book in Thrasher’s (Temptation, 2012) Christian-oriented Solitary Tales series.
After leaving his father’s home in Chicago, Chris returns to the strangeness of Solitary, N.C.—confronting disturbing visions, a lifelike mannequin that looks like a deceased former friend and continuing threats against the life of his mother, Tara Kinner. Although Chris wants to save his mother, he has no idea where she is; meanwhile, evil town patriarch Ichor Staunch informs Chris that, although Staunch can’t kill him, he can still hurt him in numerous ways. Staunch and others seek to manipulate, threaten and frighten Chris into renouncing God and coming over to their side before the ailing head of the Kinner clan, Walter Kinner, makes his exit; the date is set for Chris to officially become part of the Kinner clan on Memorial Day. Chris’ emotionally wounded Uncle Robert notes that the Kinner clan sees Chris as “their Luke Skywalker.” Chris also grows closer to sweet Kelsey Page and her loving family; he begins attending her church, which—unlike that of demented local pastor Jeremiah Marsh—is founded on Christian principles. Gradually, Chris’ belief in God deepens. However, Chris can’t shake the feeling that he’s risking Kelsey’s life by associating with her. Meanwhile, an FBI agent arrives to investigate the disappearance of Jocelyn Evans—from the series’ first book, Solitary (2010)—who was ritualistically sacrificed about a year ago. Other characters from past books reappear, including Poe, Jared and Newt, to address past plot points; Thrasher also adds the 42-year-old, 250-pound Mounds, a lively, hippie-ish ghost hunter who hires Chris as his assistant. The author skillfully depicts the horror of living in creepy Solitary as Chris works to ensure his own safety and that of his loved ones. Throughout, the author gently leads the reader toward a conclusion that hints of hope and a vital transformation to come.
A fine, fitting end to a soulful series.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1434764164
Page Count: 496
Publisher: David C. Cook
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A dizzying, intimate romance.
Rowan teams up with her academic nemesis to win a citywide scavenger hunt.
Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been rivals in a never-ending game of one-upmanship since freshman year. Now, on the last day of senior year, Rowan hopes to best Neil once and for all as valedictorian, then win Howl, a scavenger hunt with a $5,000 cash prize. She also hopes to sneak away to her favorite romance author’s book signing; no one’s ever respected her passion for the genre, not even her children’s book author/illustrator parents. But Rowan’s named salutatorian, and vengeful classmates plot to end her and Neil’s reign. At first their partnership is purely strategic, but as the pair traverse the city, they begin to open up. Rowan learns that Neil is Jewish too and can relate to both significant cultural touchstones and experiences of casual anti-Semitism. As much as Rowan tries to deny it, real feelings begin to bloom. Set against a lovingly evoked Seattle backdrop, Rowan and Neil’s relationship develops in an absorbing slow burn, with clever banter and the delicious tension of first love. Issues of class, anti-Semitism, and sex are discussed frankly. Readers will emerge just as obsessed with this love story as Rowan is with her beloved romance novels. Rowan’s mother is Russian Jewish and Mexican, and her father is American Jewish and presumably White; most other characters are White.
A dizzying, intimate romance. (author’s note) (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: July 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4024-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
Evocations of Narnia are not enough to salvage this fantasy, which struggles with thin character development.
A portal fantasy survivor story from an established devotional writer.
Fourteen-year-old Eva’s maternal grandmother lives on a grand estate in England; Eva and her academic parents live in New Haven, Connecticut. When she and Mum finally visit Carrick Hall, Eva is alternately resentful at what she’s missed and overjoyed to connect with sometimes aloof Grandmother. Alongside questions of Eva’s family history, the summer is permeated by a greater mystery surrounding the work of fictional children’s fantasy writer A.H.W. Clifton, who wrote a Narnialike series that Eva adores. As it happens, Grandmother was one of several children who entered and ruled Ternival, the world of Clifton’s books; the others perished in 1952, and Grandmother hasn’t recovered. The Narnia influences are strong—Eva’s grandmother is the Susan figure who’s repudiated both magic and God—and the ensuing trauma has created rifts that echo through her relationships with her daughter and granddaughter. An early narrative implication that Eva will visit Ternival to set things right barely materializes in this series opener; meanwhile, the religious parable overwhelms the magic elements as the story winds on. The serviceable plot is weakened by shallow characterization. Little backstory appears other than that which immediately concerns the plot, and Eva tends to respond emotionally as the story requires—resentful when her seething silence is required, immediately trusting toward characters readers need to trust. Major characters are cued white.
Evocations of Narnia are not enough to salvage this fantasy, which struggles with thin character development. (author’s note, map, author Q&A) (Religious fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2024
ISBN: 9780593194454
Page Count: 384
Publisher: WaterBrook
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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