What’s a dragon-girl to do when she’s in love with a boy who hunts dragons?
In this first sequel to Jordon’s Firelight (2010), Jacinda and her family return to the hidden mountain home of the draki “pride.” Her twin sister, Tamra, finally manifests into a draki that can cloud humans’ minds, making her as valuable to the pride as Jacinda with her fire-breathing ability. However, their mother and, especially, Jacinda face punishment for the infractions they’ve committed. Jacinda decides to take her lumps, try to fit in again and forget her heartthrob Will—until Will shows up in town (you knew they’d meet again somehow). Meanwhile, Jacinda also finds herself reluctantly attracted to Cassian, the young draki prince Tamra loves. Although the romantic entanglements fit the usual romance-novel pattern, the author manages to keep suspense high with thrilling fights and several escapes. Additionally, she touches on a theme of freedom versus authoritarianism within the essentially dictatorial draki society. Despite the fact that it’s the second in a series, this installment stands on its own quite well. The author manages to explain the essentials from the previous plot without taking up too much space. Staple genre plot points abound, such as the impossibly handsome love interest and star-crossing impediments to love. Characterizations work well despite this.
Overall, predictable but still imaginative, formulaic but still suspenseful. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-193510-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
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Can teenage love ever be forever?
Isabel (Belly) from The Summer I Turned Pretty (2009) and It’s Not Summer Without You (2010) finishes up her freshman year at college somewhat unconvincingly committed to Jeremiah Fisher, one of the two brothers with whom she has spent summers since she was small. Isabel becomes furious to learn that Jeremiah had sex with another girl from their college in Cabo on spring break, but he wins back her affections with a grand gesture: a proposal of marriage. Caught up in the idea—she will plan a summer wedding! they will attend college as a married couple!—Isabel tries ignores her misgivings about Jeremiah, the appalled silence of her mother and her own still-strong feelings for Jeremiah’s older brother, Conrad. It’s both funny and believable when Jeremiah insists he wants to dance the wedding dance to “You Never Can Tell” from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. Han gives a satisfying nod to wedding-planning fantasies even while revealing their flimsy basis for an actual marriage. A final chapter in 23-year-old Isabel’s voice reveals the not-so-surprising happy ending.
Han’s impressive ear for and pitch-perfect reproduction of the interactions between not-quite-adult older teens make this an appealing conclusion to this trilogy romance among bright middle-class young people. (Fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: May 3, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4169-9558-6
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FAMILY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE
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A romance with solid queer representation set against the backdrop of an Alabama Christian school.
Chloe Green is the only one who sees through Shara Wheeler’s goody-two-shoes act, and now that Shara’s pulled a disappearing act right before being crowned prom queen, she makes it her business to find her. This means teaming up with unlikely allies like Smith Parker, Shara’s jock boyfriend, and Rory Heron, the brooding boy next door, both in love with Shara, just as Chloe claims she is not. What brings the trio together is a series of notes Shara has left them, along with the awkward fact that she kissed all three of them before vanishing. McQuiston’s YA debut starts off as a fun page-turner with a rich cast of queer characters but ultimately disappoints with its predictable plot twists and protagonists whose journeys feel lackluster. In a story that uplifts the importance of friendship and found family, the main character’s tunnel vision and indifference toward her friends’ problems make for an ending that doesn’t feel earned. Rather than coming across as a complicated but earnest love interest, Shara feels superficial and narcissistic, raising the question of why so many people drop everything to pursue her. Shara and Chloe are White; Rory has a White mom and Black dad, and Smith is described as having dark brown skin. Bisexual Chloe has two moms.
An engaging, fast-paced story let down by character development. (author’s note) (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: May 3, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-24445-1
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
Categories: TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES
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