Emotionally resonant and masterfully crafted.
In the German Democratic Republic during the latter months of 1989, a 16-year-old girl faces the realities of her government’s violent control of its people.
Helena’s life in Leipzig revolves around music. An avid pianist, she imagines someday becoming a conductor and using the power of music “to stir people / to dreams. Imagining / the possibility lets loose / butterflies within me.” Constraints about people’s life choices in the GDR, and her mother’s practical concerns over her future, leave her career plans uncertain. For Helena, music is her path to freedom and a form of release from the oppression surrounding her. But after her best friend escapes to Austria during a rush on the border, Helena joins her father in protesting the intolerable conditions in which they live. Under constant observation by the Stasi and with new travel restrictions in place, citizens are unable to leave the country, and their expressions of dissent are violently shut down. Helena’s narrative is a moving piece of historical fiction that is detailed, well researched, and remarkable in its ability to transport readers into another era. Written in verse, this lyrical novel skillfully tackles the complicated issues of political oppression, police brutality, and nonviolent acts of resistance. The poems vary in length and style, emphasizing major themes and important moments with delicate artistry.
Emotionally resonant and masterfully crafted. (author’s note, glossary, selected sources) (Verse historical fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781524881122
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
An impressive, albeit stuffed, conclusion to the duology.
Several months after losing Orion to Lady Hong in Foul Lady Fortune (2022), Rosalind Lang sets out to save her kidnapped partner.
Since the confrontation at Warehouse 34, a heartbroken Rosalind has remained sequestered in her apartment to avoid reporters who want a glimpse of the Nationalist assassin Fortune. When the Nationalists refuse to rescue Orion and reveal plans to decommission Rosalind, she volunteers to tour the country, using her fame to boost Chinese morale in the face of Japanese military aggression. Rosalind’s true motive, however, is to lure out Lady Hong and Orion, and she sets herself as bait by claiming to possess Lady Hong’s final vial of a serum that creates invincible supersoldiers. As soon as the Communists discern Rosalind’s plan, they assign Celia Lang and Oliver Hong to follow Rosalind and capture Orion for their own cause. Meanwhile, Nationalist triple agent Silas Wu continues his single-minded pursuit of the enigmatic Communist sharpshooter Priest, unaware that Priest is actually Phoebe Hong, who is equally determined to maintain her facade as merely Orion and Oliver’s younger sister. Conflicting loyalties and long-held secrets put characters to the test in this packed but nonetheless fast-paced sequel, which is told by the main cast in third-person narration. With the stakes higher than ever, they must carefully choose whom to trust as they race against time to save their friends, family, and country.
An impressive, albeit stuffed, conclusion to the duology. (Historical fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781665905619
Page Count: 560
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
Frankly a delight.
A lively queer Camelot for modern audiences.
Several hundred years after the time of the fabled king Arthur Pendragon, Gwendoline and her older brother, Gabriel, are princess and prince of Camelot. Gwen has been betrothed since birth to Arthur Delacey, whose father’s family claims ancestry from Mordred. Gwen’s first problem with this arrangement is that she and Arthur hate each other. The second is revealed when Arthur comes to the royal castle for the summer tournament in which knights compete for renown—and Gwen catches him making out with a servant boy. But then Arthur obtains proof of Gwen’s obsession with Lady Bridget Leclair, England’s only female knight and a competitor in the tourney. Engaging in mutual blackmail, they form an understanding, though over the course of the summer it turns into an initially begrudging, then supportive friendship, especially when Arthur starts learning more about heir-to-the-throne Gabe. In this fun summer romance, Croucher creates main characters who feel distinctly modern in their dialogue and interactions. They maneuver through the historical setting, including social expectations and limited medical care, in ways that both seem natural and often offer commentary on more current affairs. This is a wonderful expansion of the YA romance genre. Gwen and her family are white, and she is coded queer and demisexual. Arthur is Iranian on his mother’s side and coded gay, as is Gabe. There is additional diversity in the supporting cast.
Frankly a delight. (Historical romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781250847218
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
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