The Stars Never Rise

April 27, 2015
A century ago, demons declared war on humanity and devoured so many souls that the human population could no longer sustain itself. Now Nina, at 17, has only a year left before she dedicates her life to the tyrannical Unified Church that came to power after the war. In New Temperance, joining their holy order is Nina’s only option to feed herself and her sin-prone sister, Melanie, while their mother wastes away in a drugged stupor. When a demon attack brings Nina’s life crashing down, help comes not from the church’s exorcists but from a fugitive named Finn, who has the power to cast demons back to Hell. Nina’s confusing feelings for Finn take a back burner as she joins him and his friends on the run, fighting both the church and demons to keep her family safe. First in a series, this book sometimes runs heavy on exposition, but Vincent (the Soul Screamers series) carves out an intriguing niche in the post-apocalyptic landscape. Unresolved plotlines leave plenty of reasons for readers to look forward to the next installment. Ages 12–up. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House.

March 1, 2015
A girl learns that she has the ability to fight the demons that threaten the world in this series opener.Soon to be 17, Nina struggles to keep herself and her 15-year old sister, Melanie, out of the hands of the Church, which has become the new, tyrannical government a century after the war between humans and demons wiped out most of America-and the rest of the world. She might have succeeded, but Melanie turns up with a secret that will destroy any real future the girls have. The Church, however, discovers another secret, something Nina did not know about herself: Nina is a natural exorcist, able to dispatch demons to hell with only the fire that glows from her hand. This makes her a target of the Church, and her new friend Finn, one of a group of young exorcists and other freedom fighters, steps in to help her escape. In no time, Nina becomes public enemy number one on the national news. Jammed with dramatic tension, this post-apocalyptic paranormal thriller will keep readers flipping pages. Vincent maintains suspense with fights against demonic degenerates and near-miss encounters with the demonstrably evil Church. One of Finn's group has a so-far-unexplained supernatural ability that makes their efforts much easier, and there are hints of future romance.Vincent's a pro: large parts of this are un-put-down-able. (Paranormal suspense. 12-18)

March 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Like countless teen novels today, The Stars Never Rise is set in a terrible future. There are many plot elements that readers will recognize: an overarching, corrupt governing body (the Unified Church), a broken family with a beloved younger sibling, and supernatural menace. There is also an inconvenient love interest, conspiracies, and lots of action, and Vincent works these into an entertaining story with a unique approach. In this postapocalyptic world, there are only so many souls to go around, because hordes of demons have been feeding on them for centuries. By the mid-21st century, babies are stillborn if there's no donor soul lined up, and demon possession is a constant fear. Seventeen-year-old Nina lives in relative safety in a restrictive church settlement where walls and exorcists keep people safe from "degenerates," or possessed humans whose souls have been eaten away by demons. After extensive background-laying, Nina discovers that her younger sister is pregnant, that her mother has always been possessed and had children to keep herself alive, that bands of outlaw teenage exorcists roam the town, and that she herself is a natural-born exorcist. There's also a body-hopping boy-soul named Finn and a plot to enslave and destroy humanity. The book contains some mature language and themes, especially as Nina tries to regain autonomy over her body after forced sterilization, but nothing overly graphic. VERDICT The story treads very familiar ground and can be predictable at times, but this is a hugely fun and entertaining read.-Kyle Lukoff, Corlears School, New York City

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