Frozen

August 12, 2013
In this post-apocalyptic first book in the Heart of Dread series, the husband-and-wife team of de la Cruz and Johnston blur the lines between science fiction and fantasy. In a future in which much of the world is covered in ice—ice that has brought with it strange and powerful creatures—it’s business as usual in New Vegas for those with the funds and wherewithal to gamble. When 16-year-old blackjack dealer Nat Kestal gains possession of a map supposedly leading to the mythical, paradisiacal “Blue,” she looks for a way out of the totalitarian Remaining States of America. She gains passage with unpredictable Ryan “Wes” Wesson and his misfit band of mercenaries, only to develop feelings for him. With government troops on their heels, slavers on the prowl, and potential traitors in their crew, can Nat and Wes trust each other long enough to find the Blue, assuming it exists? Romance, magic, and excitement drive the pace of this genre-defying adventure, though some of the more fantastical elements can clash with the futuristic, dystopian atmosphere. Ages 12–up. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment.

August 15, 2013
A high-stakes chase through a dystopian future in search of a hidden land called "the Blue." Sixteen-year-old Nat Kestral works as a blackjack dealer and card counter in New Vegas, the frozen wasteland that's all that's left of the former Sin City after extreme climate change and pollution overtook the Earth. She's guarding her own secrets and powers. When she scores a necklace with a mysterious stone from her boss that could be a map that leads to the Blue, she enlists the help of handsome, golden-haired Wes and a team of mercenaries to take her there. Bullets fly alongside high-speed car chases and narrow escapes, and inevitable romantic sparks between Wes and Nat ensue. Add in Wes' wary, Lost-Boys-like crew and a host of zombielike creatures called Thrillers (named for the Michael Jackson song), and de la Cruz and Johnson score a hit. The story sputters at first as readers navigate parallel scenes between Wes and Nat that are often hard to follow as they try to simultaneously digest the dystopian environment and the action taking place. The plot quickly jells once the two come together, and the alternate narrating chapters focus on the same plot and the growing romance. The action soon accelerates, and readers will find themselves completely immersed in the authors' dangerous world. Lots of fun and tons better than the average dystopian romance. (Dystopian romance. 14 & up)

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October 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-Natasha Kestral is a blackjack dealer in New Vegas. She is also one of the "Marked," a group of oft-feared power wielders. They are sometimes telekinetic, self-healing, or telepathic, but always discernible by their brightly colored eyes. With the United States almost destroyed and the world engulfed in a new ice age, most people have lost all hope. Having escaped from the institution in which she was being held against her will, Nat has reinvented herself with a new identity. But a voice in her head is forcing her to go to a rumored paradise called The Blue. To get there, she hires Ryan Wesson and his band of ragtag underage pirates to book a passage over the frozen ocean. Upon meeting, Wes feels an instant connection with Nat. As the two teens begin to trust each other, Nat begins to understand her true destiny. Can she reach The Blue in time? While some plot elements are a little hard to swallow, such as Wes being a military veteran at only 16 years old, there is a concentrated effort to build a glacially complex dystopian setting that is unrecognizable from the world we know. The romance seems a little forced, but the well-developed supporting characters among the crew help to provide a well-rounded ensemble. The plot flows steadily while providing glimpses into familiar science-fiction concepts that the story uses as its foundation. Fans of The Hunger Games will no doubt enjoy sinking their teeth into this exciting book.-Ryan P. Donovan, New York Public Library

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2013
Grades 7-12 De la Cruz (Blue Bloods, 2013) and her husband, Johnston, begin a new dystopian-future series that focuses on environmental catastrophesspecifically, a new Ice Age. Their imaginative vision of the Remaining States of America (RSA) includes polluted oceans that have swallowed entire coasts, ruthless mercenaries, rigid class systems, and magic. It's a world where potable water is a rare commodity only the rich can afford, and the population is young simply because no one lasts very long in such social and physical conditions. Nat is a 17-year-old blackjack dealer in New Vegas, where casinos and corruption reign. She seeks a mythical land called the Blue, a paradise where the sun still shines and magic is accepted, and she hires a dashing young mercenary, Ryan Wesson, to take her there. Ryan's ragtag team guides Nat on a journey that is essentially one long chase scene filled with gangsters, unethical government officials, and danger from every possible source. Predictable romance and writing will not deter de la Cruz's many fans or those hungry for yet another postapocalyptic future. The abrupt ending suggests there's much more to come.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
In this well-developed landscape, a world of ice a hundred years after most of humanity perished, sixteen-year-old Nat follows the voices in her head to an unknown location that could spell her doom--or the salvation of all. The characters don't quite hit their strides in this first book, but the gripping pace, nicely timed plot twists, and breathtaking climax mostly compensate.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)