"[Hoover's] confident deployment of myth is impressive . . ." --Publishers Weekly
"Solstice is one red-hot read--it intrigues, sizzles, and satisfies." --Cynthia Leitich Smith, New York Times bestselling author
". . . a beautiful world of disaster and chaos" --School Library Journal Teen Review
". . . a debut novel that consistently delivers . . ." --Booklist
"Sure to be a fan favorite, Solstice is not a book readers will be able to easily put down." --VOYA
". . . a real page-turner that is hard to put down." --School Library Journal
"Fans of mythology and romance will find something to love in this new dystopian" --Madeline Smoot, BookPeople, Austin, TX
"The best modern retelling of a mythological story that I have ever read." --Danny Woodfill, The Book Spot, Round Rock, TX
"This enticing combination of an all too scary near future and classical mythology is impossible to put down." --Diana Tixier Herald, Librarian, Genrefluent.com
"Hoover deftly weaves age-old mythology into an all-too-familiar future world. Exciting, intriguing and oh-so-romantic--global warming has never been this hot!" --Mari Mancusi, Award-winning author
"Filled with mystery, romance, and betrayal, Solstice provides a seductive mythological twist on the global warming crisis." --Joy Preble, Brazos Books, Houston, TX
Hell on earth” takes on new meaning in Hoover’s riff on one of the better-known Greek myths. Piper Snow, newly 18, lives in Austin, Tex., in a near future when climate change is turning catastrophic: millions have died in the unrelenting heat gripping the world. Piper’s mother is powerful politically, but at home she’s a despot, constraining Piper with emotional manipulation as well as lock and key. It’s no wonder Piper takes the first opportunity to rebel, especially when rebellion comes in the guise of blond and muscular Reese, whose presence scrambles Piper’s brain, and brooding Shayne, whose manner swings maddeningly between forthright and aloof. The moment Piper steps out on her own, however, she enters a world for which she’s entirely unprepared—and that her mother had, in fact, strained every resource to keep Piper from. Hoover disregards more probable climate changes to suit her fictional ends, but her confident deployment of myth is impressive. Most readers will be happy to immerse themselves in Piper’s struggles with adulthood, love, and fate. Ages 13–up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (June)
11/01/2013
Gr 7 Up—Solstice is a unique, well-blended mix of dystopian fiction, romance, mythology, and mystery that will appeal to a wide audience. In the near future, a Global Heating Crisis has created heat bubbles that cover cities all over the world, resulting in limited resources and high crime outside of man-made protective domes. Teen Piper Snow (who has lived her entire life amid the mysterious global drought) and her mother live in the largest greenhouse in Austin, Texas, and are able to provide fresh produce due to their uncanny abilities to nurture plants. In most ways, Piper's life is like that of most of her friends—she thinks about boys, getting a tattoo, and how she will be able to convince her overprotective mother to let her go away to college. Piper's 18th birthday brings with it the arrival of two mysterious hot guys, Shayne and Reese; a gift from an anonymous giver; and news that her father (whom she's never met) has caught up with her and her mother. As unusual events continue, hints of who Piper really is begin to unfold and her role in the climate change becomes apparent. The story's many twists and details about the Underworld and its denizens make Solstice a real page-turner that is hard to put down.—Sherry J. Mills, Hazelwood East High School, St. Louis, MO
This steamy apocalyptic-fantasy-romance novel reads like the product of a committee formed specifically to design a YA best-seller. First-person narrator Piper Snow has spent her 18 years in a dying world, parched by the Global Heating Crisis. Piper, however, is more preoccupied with her overprotective mother and the two hot guys who suddenly exhibit passionate interest: the suavely seductive, golden hunk Reese and the gorgeous, brooding, bad boy Shayne. While the former tempts her into rebellion, it's the latter whom she feels she has known and loved forever and who reveals that the gods of Greek mythology still walk the Earth--and its depths. Most of the story is spent with Piper touring the Underworld, fretting that no one answers her questions (for no reason other than that the plot requires it), and watching her parents and admirers squabble over her, lie to her, manipulate her and occasionally assault her. It's hard to fathom her appeal; Piper's most apparent personality traits are peevish passivity and spectacular self-absorption, and her interactions with her suitors consist of brief, banal conversations, scorching kisses and screaming for rescue. The slightest familiarity with classical legends will render the meant-to-be-shocking revelations obvious, and the moderately interesting science-fiction setting falls apart when forced into a literal mythological framework. Although Piper exerts some agency in the final chapter, enough major conflicts are left unresolved to guarantee a sequel. Generic, unthreatening, popcorn summer reading; ideal for those readers looking for more of exactly the same. (Fantasy. 14 & up)
