Kirkus: Wendig ups the ante in this second novel about a psychic girl pitted against dark forces, malevolent humans, and the twisty nature of fate. If readers were intrigued by the introduction of acid-tongued, supernaturally gifted Miriam Black in Wendig’s last novel, this book will really sink its teeth into them. […] As before, Miriam isn’t for everyone; she’s extremely profane, her creator absolutely punishes her physically, and she’s not exactly someone to root for. But it’s apparent that Wendig is getting more skilled at his craft here, using better characterization and the same whiplash prose to carve out a story that is not only creepier and equally as propulsive, but is also pushing its heroine toward even worse events in future installments. Lurid but wildly entertaining urban horror that falls somewhere between Flowers in the Attic and Joe Hill.
Aug 032015
August 3, 2015
Kirkus: A sci-fi mystery involving robots and revolutionaries. Lady Marianella Luna is a rich, beautiful woman with a problem, one she can’t bring to the cops. Instead, she takes her dilemma to a private eye, Eliana Gomez. Eliana eagerly accepts Lady Luna’s case—and her money—and begins chasing clues into the city’s underbelly. From this familiar opening, Clarke invites readers into an uncommon place: Hope City, an improbable metropolis built on the Antarctic ice and kept alive by a protective glass dome. […] The novel’s worldbuilding is phenomenal: Hope City’s past and present unfold effortlessly. At the same time, its female characters are particularly well-rendered: Eliana and Lady Luna forge a tentative friendship that feels real, while Sofia’s story is a refreshing take on whether an android should love or hate the humans around her.
The Globe and Mail: Princess X is a converse-clad, katana-wielding heroine invented by childhood best friends May and Libby. When Libby dies in a car crash, so does the fictional superhero. But a few years later, Princess X mysteriously shows up in a popular Web comic. How could a dead girl’s ideas come back to life? Ninety per cent text and 10 per cent comics, this is the genre-bending story of May’s quest to learn the truth behind Libby’s death and Princess X’s baffling reappearance. Delicious twists and turns make up this tightly focused tale of sleuthing, hacking and friendship – even after May partners with Patrick, her tech-savvy neighbour, not a mite of flirtation clouds the plot’s trajectory. Don’t let the pink on the cover fool you; 
Publishers Weekly: Dickinson’s debut, the start of a trilogy set in an impressively well-crafted fantasy world, is assured and impressive. … Readers will share every one of Baru’s strong, suppressed emotions. 
RT Book Reviews: Sarah and Henry stand front and center as the side stories of Pris’ romance, Joe and Simon’s return from Colorado, and shy Amanda’s dangerous escapade with rebellious Jesse keep Whinburg Township on its toes. Readers will be pleased and relieved when this intense romance is resolved and Henry accepts that his heart’s desire was beside him all along.
Barnes & Noble: “As action-filled and nail-biting as it can be, Bishop makes the powerful choice to confine the most important battles to play out in her characters’ psyches and emotional landscapes. Instead of making them victims for some hero to save, Bishop makes these damaged characters into champions, leading to the trilogy’s most heartbreaking, memorable sequences, as driving most of the major climaxes.
Kirkus: A young woman cursed with a powerful paranormal ability takes drastic action to escape her fate. The prolific and often profane Wendig (Zeroes, 2015, etc.) originally published this novel in the U.K. in 2012, and he seemed to catch readers by surprise with the foulmouthed, punk-rock girl at its heart. The first in a series, this delightfully vicious and bloody urban horror novel provides a perversely entertaining introduction to a dangerous fugitive with a little something special up her sleeves. …This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea—Wendig spins his story with Tarantino-esque multiplicity, and the book’s pyrotechnic profanity, bloody ultraviolence, and lack of romance are unlikely to appeal to fans of Laurell K. Hamilton or Patricia Briggs. But for those who like their noir with a twist of horror, this novel provides an engaging blend of occult surrealism, nihilism, and startling violence. A lean, mean fantasy novel that’s likely to leave readers dented and bruised.
Library Journal: Five hackers are picked up separately by government agent Hollis Copper and offered a one-time-only deal: work for the National Security Agency (NSA) or go to jail. The five have little in common—Aleena is an Arab Spring activist, DeAndre a clever thief, Chance a poser hacker, Wade an old-school conspiracy nut, and Reagan an online troll—but they are forced to work together when they are dropped at a secret location called the Lodge. Their individual missions to hack various companies seem connected, and they start putting together evidence that the government is using them to test a new computer called Typhon. As they near the truth, the hackers become a threat to the people who are trying to manipulate them. This new novel from Wendig, whose Miriam Black books (
Kirkus: This collection of stories provocatively and effectively illustrates the multidimensionality of someone considered to be a monster, and readers will find much of it fascinating and moving. A variety of characters affected by a school shooting offer their perspectives in this work of realistic fiction penned by 17 different authors and coordinated by Hutchinson. When Kirby Matheson, a high school student with a history both of being bullied and of coming to the aid of others being maltreated, kills six of his fellow students and then himself, everyone searches for answers. A vignette from the point of view of his childhood tormentor is deeply troubling. The most experimental section is narrated by the gun Kirby used to commit the murders. However, the sheer number of perspectives feels unwieldy at times. Engaging and heart-wrenching but spread a bit too thin.