January 1, 2023
A pair of thieves turn vigilantes when an external force threatens their home planet of Nakara in this Bonnie and Clyde-inspired science fiction. Eighteen-year-old Shane Mannix and 17-year-old Ava Castor are partners in crime. After Shane's recent, traumatizing stint in a brutal space prison, they're working together to exact revenge for Shane's sake and, while doing so, become infamous as Ava has always dreamed. Meanwhile, on the other side of the law, earnest 18-year-old Cyrus Blake, a recent graduate of Opia's Air Force Academy, hopes to carve a place for himself within the ranks of privileged classmates while trying to avoid being tempted by handsome Lark into breaking the rules until a devious plan from a rogue military leader to further oppress their homeworld sets Shane, Ava, and their crew on a collision course with Cyrus. Voris' action-filled debut follows antiheroes Shane and Ava on their murderous, extremely violent space escapades against tyranny. Also central is Cyrus, whose yearnings for Lark and for doing the right thing clash with truths he unveils. A few odd chapters offer flashbacks of Shane and Ava's first encounter but don't add much to the overall tale, and while the setting has intriguing elements of political and social unrest, the world at large is underdeveloped. A bittersweet end promises more. Cyrus and Shane are assumed White; Ava is from a mixed fantasy race background. An uneven tale of revenge, infamy, and thievery in space. (Science fiction. 15-18)
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January 16, 2023
Voris’s bustling debut, a Bonnie and Clyde–inspired space pirate exploit, features grim conflict, corrupt politics, and social upheaval steeped in moral complexities. Seventeen-year-old Ava Castor would do anything to escape from what she feels is a dead-end existence living on the planet Nakara. So she joins up with 18-year-old Shane Mannix, a ship-stealing daredevil whose defiance escalates after a stint of harsh imprisonment under the ruling Opian empire. When an operation unveils a secret Opian plot that will devastate Ava and Shane’s home world, the duo undertake a series of increasingly violent and risky odd jobs and perilous heists that bring them into repeated confrontation with Opian officials, including Cyrus Blake, an 18-year-old recent flight school graduate who grew up in a financially precarious household. As Shane and Ava continually clash with Cyrus and his peers, Cyrus recognizes unexpected commonalities with the outlaws, forcing him to question his role within the Opian institution. Shane and Ava’s mutual desperation to exact revenge for wrongdoings committed against them at any cost exemplifies the narrative’s core themes of vengeance and rebellion. Shane is described as having pale skin; Ava is brown-skinned; Cyrus reads as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Claire Friedman, InkWell Management.
March 1, 2023
Grades 9-12 Shane and Ava are Bonnie and Clyde in space, stealing ships and getting away with it. Until they don't, and Shane gets thrown into a remote moon prison. When Ava breaks him out, they plan the biggest heist they've ever done. On the opposite side of the law is Cyrus, a new military academy graduate. On his first day on the job, as he's fighting his feelings for his irritating and handsome rival, Lark, he fails to stop the criminal duo. Now Ava and Shane are the interstellar world's most wanted, and Cyrus and Lark need to fix their mistake. However, both sides begin to uncover a high-level conspiracy that upends the truth about everything happening on their planet. This YA space opera adventure also has two compelling love stories; a minor flaw is it launches so quickly into the story that it initially reads like a sequel. This book is perfect for fans of space sci-fi, criminal couples, and enemies-to-lovers romance.
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June 16, 2023
Gr 9 Up-Ava and Shane are outlaws. Desperate to escape their dead-end planet, they con and thieve their way through space. On the other side of the law, top military cadet Cyrus has escaped his own hardships on a much different planet and is swept directly to the heart of his planet's powerful leadership. When Shane overhears Cyrus's commanding officer plotting to decimate their much weaker home planet, he and Ava take on a new mission-one that will make them truly notorious. Based loosely on the historical criminals Bonnie and Clyde, this action-packed sci-fi tale elevates the stakes from bank robberies to interplanetary espionage. While those familiar with the real-life duo will appreciate nods to their story, the real standout of this tale is Cyrus who, after several run-ins with Ava and Shane, must reckon with mounting evidence that the people he has sworn himself to are anything but honorable. The setting is intriguing, but often suffers from shaky world-building and character motivations that run from vague to contradictory, and readers are asked to accept circumstances that stretch logic (like several newly graduated cadets being at the right hand of planetary leaders). Despite this, the characters' emotions and relationships pack a powerful punch and the action keeps the pages turning. Questions of loyalty, power, and systemic corruption are explored in ways that teens will connect strongly with as they prepare to enter adulthood in today's society. VERDICT A solid purchase for many collections, especially where action and high drama are popular. -Amy Diegelman
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