No aquatic frolic but a moody meditation on loss and love.
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: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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