#Sylo dj machale series#

A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.Ī lushly written story with an intriguing heart.Ī teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love-and his potentially lethal kisses. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. There is no middle-volume sag in this pulse-pounding thrillerĪfter praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic. Reminiscent of Stephen King’s masterwork The Stand, this book’s pace never slackens. Tucker’s search for the moral right leads to the concept of the “lesser evil” in ways he could never have anticipated and keeps readers completely involved every step of the way. Tucker just wants some payback for the death of his best friend in the previous book. Division threatens, as the teens argue about what to do: join this resistance or find refuge.

A looping radio transmission encourages survivors to go west, where a force is gathering to fight back. Taking refuge in a hospital, the teens find a few other survivors but not a lot of additional information. But they still don’t know exactly who is fighting whom, or why, or how far the battlefield extends.

It’s clear that the battle they witnessed wasn’t just for possession of their home island-it was for the entire area. No one is on the streets, and while most buildings remain, some have completely disintegrated. But it’s not the historic old harbor town they remember.

Tucker and his friends Tori, Kent and Olivia escaped from Pemberwick Island and the air-and-sea battle that raged around it to land in Portland.

#Sylo dj machale series#

In series opener Sylo (2013), war came to Tucker Pierce on Pemberwick Island off the coast of Maine this middle volume picks up where the first left off.