Arrows

December 14, 2015
Aaryn, the son of Eros, flubs his final exam to become a god when he shoots only half of a human couple with a love arrow in a high school parking lot. One year later, Karma Clark, an aspiring dancer with her eye on a scholarship to an arts school in New York City, now has a baby daughter, Nell, and an unshakable love for her emotionally distant and unfaithful boyfriend, Danny. Eros sends Aaryn to Earth in human form to rectify his mistake, but if Aaryn fails to persuade Danny to propose to Karma, Aaryn will be sent to Blackout, where "failed gods go as humans, their memories wiped." When Danny announces his plans to attend college in Louisiana, a forbidden romance develops between Aaryn and Karma. Alternating between the perspectives of Karma and Aaryn, Gorzelanczyk's debut blends a light myth-meets-modern premise with weightier reflections about the struggles of a teenage parent. While the dialogue and banter are entertaining, the unsurprising, rushed resolution and thinly developed characters are less successful. Ages 14âup. Agent: Carrie Howland, Donadio & Olson.

November 1, 2015
Surprise! Not only are the Greek gods real, but their interference in the love lives of mortals has disastrous consequences. Sound familiar? In Gorzelanczyk's debut novel, Aaryn, the son of Eros, is training to become a full god, and making Karma Clark and her homecoming date, Danny Bader, fall in love is his final exam. Unfortunately, love's arrow strikes only Karma, and Aaryn must mitigate the damage done to her life--teen pregnancy and the loss of her ballet scholarship--by making Danny propose marriage. The story mines some of the same god-human territory as Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, but part of those novels' charms lies in the complicated interplay between lofty Olympus and the mortal world. Both realms must be fully delineated if readers are to care that the protagonist is caught between them. Instead, modern-day Olympus is hastily dispatched to focus on the inevitable Aaryn-Karma-Danny love triangle, which stretches credulity by being told to readers rather than shown. At one point, Karma compares their forbidden friendship/romance to Johnny and Baby from Dirty Dancing, which, rather than heightening the romance, makes it feel like a retread done better elsewhere. Oddly enough, the most authentic character is Danny, the ne'er-do-well jock who prefers beers with friends to diaper duty. Hasty plot resolution and uneven character development make this myth-inspired teen romance less than heavenly. (Fantasy. 13-17)

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November 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Reality and mythology coexist in this new fantasy/adventure novel. In a battle between Mount Olympus and Earth, Aaryn, son of Cupid, is sent to Earth on his first mission to shoot both Karma and her boyfriend Danny with love arrows. Only after he has already shot Karma does he realize the leftover arrow is useless. One year later, Karma has lost her dance scholarship, gotten pregnant, and had a baby, all with minimal support from Danny. Aaryn is sent back to Earth as a human with the chance to make things right. If he can convince Danny to treat Karma right and propose there will be no consequence. While Aaryn is trying to push Danny toward Karma, he begins to fall for her himself. This story bounces back and forth from Karma's and Aaryn's points of view, exposing both of their trials and tribulations with love and choice. Appropriate themes for teens are explored in the book, such as honesty, self-worth, standing up for oneself, and teen pregnancy. This tale of Cupid meets teen mom is unique, but it pans out as a bit of a cliche teen love triangle with an unsurprising conclusion. VERDICT For fans of fantasy fiction and mythology, such as Aimee Carter's "The Goddess Test" series (Harlequin Teen) or Rick Riordan's titles.-Morgan O'Reilly, Riverdale Country School, NY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016
Aaryn, son of Eros, aims to make Karma and Danny fall in love; only Karma is affected. A year later, she struggles with the consequences, and Aaryn, his mistake finally discovered, is sent to earth to fix things. Alternating between Aaryn and Karma's viewpoints, this myth-inspired novel has an appealing premise and an involving romantic dilemma, but it suffers from underdeveloped characters and a quick, tidy ending.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)