Ferocious

June 15, 2017
Winter Kim searches for a brother she's never known.Korean-American Winter Kim's beloved sister, Rose, is dead. A mysterious businessman, Kyung, is responsible, and Winter is determined to make him pay. Armed with Vicarious Sensory Experiences technology and aided by her friends (Mexican-American Jesse Ramirez and racially ambiguous former mercenary Baz Faber), Winter sets off for Seoul to discover the truth about Kyung and protect her long-lost brother, Jun. Most of the pros and cons of the series' first installment reoccur here. The sci-fi world Winter inhabits expands and contracts in involving ways. The author excels at weaving her characters and narrative together, making each element propel the others. The romance between Winter and Jesse heats up slowly but surely, with enough sizzle to keep readers interested but not so much that it overpowers the narrative's primary thrust. The first novel exploited Winter's dissociative identity disorder to fold the mystery upon itself with mixed results. Here, Winter's DID is developed further and put to use in more dramatic circumstances. Rose still resides in Winter's head, but a third personality, the bloodthirsty Lily, begins to emerge as well. Stokes twists this as best she can, but the plot-driven way she uses the condition still feels somewhat problematic. The rare sequel that properly expands the characters, world, and themes of its predecessor. (Science fiction. 14-17)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2017

Gr 10 Up-Fans of Vicarious will be pleased to learn Winter Kim is back and as determined as ever. This story appeals to fans of action/adventure with a high-tech twist. This time, Winter returns to Korea and resolves mysteries from her childhood with the help of some of the Vicarious characters. A weak spot in the narrative is the author's characterization of the antagonists. Winter Kim was a child prostitute and the victim of horrendous abuse; each time she encounters one of her former abusers, the writing falls flat. Occasionally, it feels as though the evildoers should end each statement with "mwahaha" and stroke their thin mustaches. Although the teen fiction genre is flexible when it comes to dealing with violence, the relationship between Winter and her former guardian Gideon is food for thought. Gideon is brought into Winter's life when he has a romantic relationship with her sister Rose. Rose was a child prostitute at the time. How can Winter be so angry with the other men who abused her while forgiving a father figure who committed the same crime? So much of Winter's journey is guided by her connection to Gideon. At times the story reads as though the author has used abuse as a plot device. Winter's mental scars create outlandish characters and plot twists, but the story does not dig deep enough. VERDICT An admirable attempt at science fiction for teens but not a first purchase.-Meaghan Nichols, Archaeological Research Associates, Ont.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.