A story as magically cool as it is emotionally heated.
In this follow-up to Blood at the Root (2024), magic itself may be in danger as Malik struggles to hone his powers while embracing some form of normal life.
After the tumultuous events of the summer term, fall semester at Caiman University, which educates Black conjurers, brings more supernatural threats—including the lingering consequences of Malik’s mother’s deadly power grab. But Malik may be struggling most with the more grounded aspects of college: declaring a major, getting to know his new crush, Dominique, and just trying to be a good friend while healing from childhood trauma. The Louisiana campus, which is rich in Black culture and fantastical powers, also has its fair share of fraternities, sororities, and clubs. When Malik gets tapped to join a secretive group, his involvement ties back to his mother’s wrongdoings, his clouded family history, and the trust issues and anxieties from his less-than-stable upbringing. As a narrator, Malik’s introspection is organic and accessible in its considerations of belonging, guilt, and grief, but with the recurring element of his visions—or scrying—the well-paced story guides Malik and readers alike toward several new questions (as well as enticing answers) about his past, his ancestors, and the Afrocentric history of magic in this world. An intense love triangle and explosive action sequences add to this well-rounded second outing.
A story as magically cool as it is emotionally heated. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9780593711965
Page Count: 544
Publisher: Labyrinth Road
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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