![]() ![]() The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.Ī lushly written story with an intriguing heart.Ī teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. ![]() The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love-and his potentially lethal kisses. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. This first installment in a proposed trilogy is absolutely un-put-down-able, more exciting than an X-Box and roller coaster combined.Īfter praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic. Can they get past the naval blockade? Can they survive the sky-borne attack on the blockade? Whom can they trust? Who-or what-is SYLO? And who is fighting whom? MacHale knows boy readers and delivers, giving them an action-packed plot with a likable, Everykid protagonist and doling out answers with just the right amount of parsimony to keep the pages turning. Tucker and Tori need to get to the mainland to tell their story. There’s no communication from the mainland to the island and no way to get word of what’s happening out to the world. The country-club golf course has been converted into a military camp run by a division of the military they’ve never heard of: SYLO. The girl he wants to get to know a whole lot better, Tori, is captured along with Tucker and imprisoned behind barbed wire. Navy, things start to fall apart, and Tucker can’t stand aside for long. But when the island is quarantined by the U.S. For now, warming the bench at the weekly football games is just fine with him. He likes life on tiny, fictional Pemberwick Island, Maine, and hopes to take over his father’s landscaping business eventually. While his friends talk about going out into the world and doing great things, he prefers to dream small. This riveting novel starts with a question: How safe is it to remain uninvolved?Īt 14, Tucker Pierce is all about fitting in and going with the flow. ![]()
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