The Brink of Darkness

May 1, 2018
Love-struck teens go to hell and back in this sequel.After some cursory interactions with her clich�d friends (an angry lesbian and goofy white rapper) and remaining family (her unnamed, weary, now-single mother and oddly toddlerlike 8-year-old brother), Zoe Bissell eagerly trades her humdrum small-town Montana life for more whirlwind romance with 20-year-old brooding, soul-stealing bounty hunter X. Adorkable white teen Zoe undertakes some research then literally plunges into the underworld in pursuit of X. Meanwhile, X--the only living and innocent person in the purgatorial Lowlands--seeks his long-missing mother. X's MacGuffin-laden quest drags readers across a repulsively and randomly violent Dante's Inferno rip-off world with all the internal (il)logic and randomly shirtless men of an Old Spice commercial. Secondary characters present as homicidal trading card stats, stereotypes spouting cringeworthy dialogue: the fat, placid, Asian Buddhist; the Cold-War-cartoon "Russian" (who is actually Ukrainian); and the antagonist whose villainy is indicated by inappropriate use of all-caps. Even inexplicably infatuated lovers X and Zoe suffer from clich�, with X's oddly formal speech and Zoe's babbling and klutziness. Serious issues like mental illness, domestic violence, and abuse are raised, ham-handedly used to humanize the damned Lowlanders, and then roughly dismissed. The story crams together clich�d YA trends without appreciation for craft, substance, or sympathetic characters.Fervent fans may be satisfied, but newcomers should be steered to better options (or wait for the inevitable movie). (Fantasy. 14-18)

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March 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 When characters, backstories, and settings are as complex, imaginative, and interesting as those Giles created in The Edge of Everything (2017), chances are the sequel won't stand alone. That's certainly true here: Giles' unique and fascinating vision of Hell, contrasting with the determinedly quirky and iconoclastic characters of rural Montana, allows no time to provide a summary of previous events. Star-crossed lovers Zoe Bissell, Montana high-school student, and X, bounty hunter from the Lowlands (aka Hell), find themselves unwilling to give up their chance at happiness, despite the obstacles in their path. Giles provides a marvelous set of secondary characters who help or hinder them, from doomed souls in Hell to depressed, gay foster children and a determinedly goth Chinese ski-lift operator. Although the overall tone is set primarily by Zoe's snarky and quick wit, there's also some lovely meditative thoughts on the nature of parenting and friendship, and a heartwarming and thoroughly romantic happy ending.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The giant push for The Edge of Everything continues here, with a national tour and a major marketing campaign planned.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-X and Zoe's love story continues but not without further pain and heartbreak. X tries to find a way out of the dreaded lowlands, a task that will put him in search of his true mother. The lord, Dervish, will do anything in his power to keep X right where he is. Giles's focus is on X this time, his story, who he really is, and how he will make his was back to Zoe. Zoe still has her own demons to reckon with and will never stop fighting for X. The pacing starts off slow as the opening chapters wrap up some of the events from the first book. This heartrending love story fits right in the paranormal fiction and romance genres that center on the devotion and sarcifice of true love. VERDICT Purchase where books by Meg Cabot, Maureen Johnson, and A.G. Howard are popular.-Kayla Casiello, Woods Memorial Library, Barre, MA

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