Jubilee Manor

June 15, 2015
Madeline Landry, the daughter of one of the richest and most powerful noble houses of a nuclear future, hopes to empower society's weakest without endangering her own wealth and comfort. In the month since Madeline's seen her cruel father banished (Landry Park, 2014), peace seems further than ever. The wealthy Uprisen loathe Madeline's willingness to work with the Rootless-the de facto enslaved class forced to handle spent uranium. The short-lived Rootless, on the other hand, have no trust for Madeline's slow-moving moderation. As if that weren't enough, some dastardly villain keeps artistically murdering Uprisen in Madeline's ancestral home. The very model of Martin Luther King's white moderate, "paternalistically believing she can set the timetable" for the Rootless' freedom, Madeline is a bundle of contradictions. She's unendingly concerned with the styles and fabrics used in her clothing while primly mocking those interested in "fashion and celebrity gossip." Unwilling to risk her ancestral home, she begs for order while the police rampage through the Rootless ghetto. Though she knows the Rootless live in starvation, she wants to "convince them it will be better to wait" while she attends endless dinners of "seared bluefin tuna," "bacon-flecked spinach," and "lamb with mint sauce." Poor little Madeline, who laments that being a pale-skinned redhead among the darker Uprisen makes her "different." Even the requisite romance is drowned in florid prose and uneven characterization. (Science fiction. 13-15)

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August 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Madeline Landry gave up her gentry upbringing in defense of the lower-class Rootless in Landry Park (Dial, 2014). When members of the wealthy class are murdered, the teen begins to question the new revolution and her comrades; love and life hang in the balance. The thrilling conclusion to this postapocalyptic duology with a Downton Abbey twist will satisfy fans of dystopians with a romantic bent.

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Grades 7-10 Near-royalty Madeline Landry gave up nearly every luxury that made her important, inspired to stand up for the less fortunate Rootless. Now, she has to live with the consequences of her actions while watching her comfortable, luxe world change immeasurably. The high-society gentry don't mix well with the lower-class Rootless, even when war will surely be at hand, and trying to make peace is harder than she expected. When rich gentry heirsonce Madeline's friends and comradesbegin showing up violently dead in conspicuous places accompanied by messages of revolution, the Rootless are the go-to suspects. Maddy must continue fighting for equality and trying to keep herself and those she loves safe, especially David, the young captain she's been romancing. Murder mystery and dystopian alternative reality crash together here, and fans who enjoyed the first book will be eager for this conclusion. The beginning drags a bit with a piecemeal recap of the events of the first book, however, so be sure to read Landry Park (2013) first, or risk being lost.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)