A fun romp that’s part sweet love story and part action movie.
In the same world as Lost and Found (2019), another micropowered teen finds his life in upheaval.
One morning Ryan Burke wakes up to find his father—who’s left the family—back home, walling the house off down the middle and converting it into a duplex so they can rent out half of it for income. Ryan falls hard for Bizzy Horvat, a witty new girl at school who is the daughter of Slovenian immigrants, before learning that she’s moving into the other side of his house. Mrs. Horvat is paranoid that people are watching them and are after Bizzy in particular; Ryan at first thinks it’s a general pretty-girl concern, until he notices the same people watching Bizzy over multiple days. One of these watchers notices Ryan engage in odd behavior as he’s defending Bizzy from a bee, and he recruits him for a micropowers support group run by a certain Dr. Withunga. Bizzy’s mother disapproves—she believes they are being stalked by Slovenian witch hunters, or lovece, who kill micropotents (like herself, Bizzy, and Ryan). It will take creativity and fast thinking to survive the gun-toting lovece. Ryan is brainy and sarcastic, and his growing maturity makes for a satisfying arc. Careless language around Roma and disabled people and references to the friend zone appear without context, but (villains aside) the characters have nuanced complexity. Main characters default to White.
A fun romp that’s part sweet love story and part action movie. (Thriller/science fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-79990-317-8
Page Count: 300
Publisher: Blackstone
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy.
A war between gods plays havoc with mortals and their everyday lives.
In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85743-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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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