A young woman encounters first love and family secrets in this lyrical debut.
Lorelei Felson lives a quiet life—literally, as her German-immigrant parents forbid music in their Venice, California, house and are mysteriously silent about their pasts. Workaholic Petra and bemused husband Henry leave the child-rearing of Lorelei and her older twin brothers, Nik and Jens, to stern grandmother Oma, but Oma’s death derails the dysfunctional family. Blonde, white sophomore Lorelei rebels by falling for rocker senior Chris Paulson, also white, but their relationship remains unofficial and riddled with lies due to Chris’ allegedly co-dependent mom and fickle band mates. Like her olive-skinned friend Zoe Soroush, Lorelei navigates typical teen trials—first boyfriend, first chance at sex, first breakup—but Lorelei also discovers that she is a siren. Grieving and in love, Lorelei accidentally, then intentionally sings to compel and control those around her until she must take responsibility for her recklessness. Romanoff’s writing is both artistically impressionistic and raw with emotion; the pace is slow, plot minimal, and secondary characters inscrutable, but the protagonist is often entrancing. Lorelei’s angst-y self-discovery best reads as a coming-of-age allegory with a superfluous supernatural twist.
No aquatic frolic but a moody meditation on loss and love. (Paranormal romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93879-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning.
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Two teens train to be society-sanctioned killers in an otherwise immortal world.
On post-mortal Earth, humans live long (if not particularly passionate) lives without fear of disease, aging, or accidents. Operating independently of the governing AI (called the Thunderhead since it evolved from the cloud), scythes rely on 10 commandments, quotas, and their own moral codes to glean the population. After challenging Hon. Scythe Faraday, 16-year-olds Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova reluctantly become his apprentices. Subjected to killcraft training, exposed to numerous executions, and discouraged from becoming allies or lovers, the two find themselves engaged in a fatal competition but equally determined to fight corruption and cruelty. The vivid and often violent action unfolds slowly, anchored in complex worldbuilding and propelled by political machinations and existential musings. Scythes’ journal entries accompany Rowan’s and Citra’s dual and dueling narratives, revealing both personal struggles and societal problems. The futuristic post–2042 MidMerican world is both dystopia and utopia, free of fear, unexpected death, and blatant racism—multiracial main characters discuss their diverse ethnic percentages rather than purity—but also lacking creativity, emotion, and purpose. Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions.
A thoughtful and thrilling story of life, death, and meaning. (Science fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7242-6
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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This story is necessary. This story is important.
32
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Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is a black girl and an expert at navigating the two worlds she exists in: one at Garden Heights, her black neighborhood, and the other at Williamson Prep, her suburban, mostly white high school.
Walking the line between the two becomes immensely harder when Starr is present at the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, by a white police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Khalil’s death becomes national news, where he’s called a thug and possible drug dealer and gangbanger. His death becomes justified in the eyes of many, including one of Starr’s best friends at school. The police’s lackadaisical attitude sparks anger and then protests in the community, turning it into a war zone. Questions remain about what happened in the moments leading to Khalil’s death, and the only witness is Starr, who must now decide what to say or do, if anything. Thomas cuts to the heart of the matter for Starr and for so many like her, laying bare the systemic racism that undergirds her world, and she does so honestly and inescapably, balancing heartbreak and humor. With smooth but powerful prose delivered in Starr’s natural, emphatic voice, finely nuanced characters, and intricate and realistic relationship dynamics, this novel will have readers rooting for Starr and opening their hearts to her friends and family.
This story is necessary. This story is important. (Fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-249853-3
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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