Split the Sun

Kit Franks has inherited a legacy of trouble from her terrorist mother in this companion to Inherit the Stars (2015). Many lives were lost in the bombing Millie Oen masterminded in the capital city of the House of Galton, where video screens stream feeds 24/7--including recordings of her mother's cryptic messages, hacked into the feed for the world to see. Though Kit tries to keep her head down, she has a host of dysfunctional family members at her heels, including her aunt, her drug-addicted cousin, and her homeless, philandering father, as well as members of the Brinkers resistance who feel she has information that can prevent a planetary attack. Kit's neighbor, Niles, seems to be the only caring constant in Kit's frantic world, though the rushed romance between them flounders as the story struggles to find a cohesive thread. Elwood crafts a protagonist who, though not exactly flat, is a suicidal, passive-aggressive mess. For the first half of the book, she seems more focused on fixing the annoying predicaments of her codependent family members than trying to understand the truth about her mother's act of terrorism. Kit's black-haired and light-skinned; her mother's last name implies she may be biracial, but this facet of her identity plays no real part in the story. The more intriguing aspects of this story are drowned out by the side-show melodrama. (Science fiction. 13-18) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-Kit Franks is a pariah, recognized only as the daughter of the terrorist who blew up an important government building, killing dozens of people, including herself. Daily, Kit is berated by strangers who blame her for her mother's actions. Investigators believe that her mother is still alive, and they have threatened to use illegal methods on Kit to extract information about her mother's whereabouts. To add to her problems, Kit's living relatives are deadbeats who are after her property, and her estranged father has shown up to beg for help in repaying a debt to the neighborhood crime boss. Just when it seems that Kit has nothing left to live for, a cute boy named Niles comes into her life and begins to help her sort out her problems. Unfortunately, the many aforementioned conflicts make for a confusing and rushed plot, with no discernible main story line. The protagonist is angry and constantly lashing out at everyone around her. Her contrived romance with Niles adds little to a story already overrun with excess subplots. There is minimal science in this science fiction, and no real connection to the previous title, Inherit the Stars. Despite being marketed as a companion novel, Elwood's latest encompasses an entirely new setting and cast of characters, and the tone and content are much darker and mature. VERDICT Readers hoping for a continuation of the lighthearted romance and royal intrigue in the first volume will be disappointed with this messy series closer.-Liz Overberg, Zionsville Community High School, IN

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2016
Grades 8-11 Kreslyn, aka Kit, Franks has been fired from her job as a museum guide. It is understandable: Kit's mother bombed the futuristic capital city and placed the power grid at risk. Now it seems as though others are seeking Kit, either to enact some sort of revenge or in order to enlist her help in continuing her mother's efforts at undermining the leaders of the city. Kit's life is threatened on all sides, and only Niles, the newest resident of her housing project, seems to want to helpbut Kit doesn't know if Niles can even be trusted. She's questioning everything and everyone in her life, with no idea of what the future might hold. This sequel to Inherit the Stars (2015) offers plenty of action, and readers will be swept away and kept guessing along with Kit as she hurtles towards that uncertain future. Fans of the Hunger Games series and even Orwell's 1984 will look forward to the next installment in this series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)