An often entertaining, if sometimes-lurid, tale of young love and vanity.
A gay teen aspires to Olympian celebrity in Karl’s YA novel.
Jason Masters, a 16-year-old junior at Niagara County High School in upstate New York, is struggling with the fact that he’s gay. When he’s spotted waiting tables at his mother’s diner by billionaire Zeus Vasiliadis, the tycoon decides that the preternaturally handsome Jason should be the face of his new men’s cosmetics line, “IMMORTAL by The House of Ganymede.” (The brand is named after the Greek god Zeus’ beautiful cupbearer on Mount Olympus.) The prospect of being a millionaire supermodel appeals to Jason, as does teenage Youngsoo Kwon, the attractive Korean expatriate son of one of Zeus’s executives. The besotted Youngsoo woos Jason with cashmere sweaters and spa treatments while venting his mad egotism: “I will crush my enemies to death, no matter who tries to stop me!” he blusters before hatching a plan to take over Zeus’ company and become the emperor of South Korea. Youngsoo’s megalomania rubs off on Jason, who asks “Are you ready to kneel before your god and worship me?” while the two are skinny-dipping. Jason’s modeling—which includes illegal nude photo shoots—rockets him to social media fame and riches, and he plans to consummate the bliss by having sex, for the first time, with Youngsoo after the prom—if they survive an attack by a school shooter. Karl’s yarn gives a glitzy, modern gloss to Greek mythology. It’s replete with Homeric circling eagles—sometimes symbolizing the bird of prey that is heteronormativity, and other times the main character spreading his wings. Karl’s characters tend toward lively, bombastic narcissism, and the prose has a salacious tone that can be inappropriate and problematic, as when the underage Jason flashes Zeus and his adult executives at the diner: “‘Now that’s what I call a true dessert!’ someone said, practically salivating at the sight of the fully-packed pouch of Jason’s tight white briefs.” At its best, though, Karl’s writing has an ardent lyricism—“Twisting, turning, struggling, their dance became a Daredevil Cartwheel, with one male eagle exerting dominance over another”—that aptly conveys the characters’ intensity.
An often entertaining, if sometimes-lurid, tale of young love and vanity.Pub Date: May 21, 2025
ISBN: 9798992951301
Page Count: 205
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 8, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A fun and scary slasher thriller.
A Fourth of July celebration turns deadly for a group of teens in Ross’ YA psychological thriller.
Eighteen-year-old Riley March and four girlfriends—Cam, Val, Nia, and Blake— are off on a celebratory Independence Day weekend away, their last before they all leave for college in the fall. Their destination is the exclusive and remote Palm Key Island, the perfect location for wealthy kids to spend their leisure time. Some of their other friends from school are there, too, including Riley’s crush, Sebastian. Riley needs to make sure no one finds out her biggest secret: She really doesn’t belong in this group, as she is not rich like her friends. Their weekend of sun, booze, and partying starts to go wrong when Val disappears after a night out clubbing—she’s presumably off with a boy—and warnings of an approaching hurricane sour the mood. As the group (joined by some male friends) hunkers down, trapped inside their rental with no internet or electricity while waiting for the storm to pass, tensions build and relationships start to unravel. They learn why their summer house rental is so cheap as casualties begin mount. The author’s compelling, fast-paced thriller pays homage to slasher movies and serial killer lore with a fun hook: “Things no longer seem fun and light anymore as I remember we’re about to be trapped in a hurricane—and in a murder house, no less. The only thing worse than that is being trapped in a hurricane, in a murder house, in complete darkness.” As the scares spiral, Ross maintains a tight focus on the complex, complicated relationship dynamics within the group of teen girls, all conveyed from Riley’s outsider/insider’s perspective. Still reeling from a close friend’s death by suicide the year before, the group’s secrets start to spill out, unveiling a history of bullying, competition, and privilege in a well-balanced narrative arc.
A fun and scary slasher thriller.Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 978-0988256828
Page Count: 266
Publisher: Ic13 Books
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A delightful beginning to a promising series that’s sure to appeal to teen readers who feel like outsiders.
Three friends and a magical dog become heroes in a strange land in Melvin’s YA fantasy series opener.
After 13-year-old Charlie Magus’ father walks out on him and his mom, they move from St. Petersburg, Florida, to Lowery, South Carolina, to live with his grandparents. Charlie’s grandfather gives him a white dog named Blue who soon becomes his devoted guardian. At school, the teen is often a target for bullies, but he finds kindred spirits in bullied classmates Zola Scyler and Virgil. He brings his new friends to see a magical waterfall that he discovered in the woods; after crawling through a tunnel behind it, they’re transported to a magical place where Blue is the size of a horse, their classmate Garrick is a revered leader, and they face dangers that they never could have imagined. They’re in the land of Pacchann, which is currently embroiled in a brutal war against a being called the Niddukk and his minions. Charlie and his friends discover that they possess magical abilities that could make them saviors of Pacchann—or the targets of its enemies. Overall, Melvin delivers a novel that’s appealing and well-crafted. Charlie is a likable, relatable protagonist, and he quickly establishes an entertaining dynamic with Virgil and Zola. Blue is more than just an animal sidekick, as he seems to have a protective and wise character all his own. The prose is accessible throughout while providing some dazzling descriptions: “Deep among the trees stood a black spire that towered hundreds of feet above the canopy. It was jagged at the top like a spiked crown—only the crown was on fire, and a ring of swirling smoke engulfed its pinnacle.” The magical world is entrancing, although it takes a while for the conflict that’s causing the war to become clear. The Niddukk is also a rather nebulous, indistinct antagonist, but the thrilling battle scenes make up for these minor issues.
A delightful beginning to a promising series that’s sure to appeal to teen readers who feel like outsiders.Pub Date: April 22, 2024
ISBN: 9798323245727
Page Count: 275
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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