June - August 2005
 Jason & Kyra
by Dana Davidson
The delightful debut novel by author Dana Davidson flows flawlessly toward an end that reads reasonably well in a rather tried-and-true teen romance amid an affluent Black suburb of Detroit. Let’s set the stage for the cast of characters. They are believable and rich in content portraying 16-years old Jason as a handsome and bored basketball jock; Lisa, a winsome leading lady to Jason; and Kyra, his best friend and confidante who assists him as an academic research partner from English class. Davidson gives credible descriptive analysis at the onset as she sets the stage, giving vivid contrast to the players in this tale. I loved the plot machinations as she deftly masks the ongoing elements of intrigue. To wit: Kyra is an important member of this set who has the lone inkling that Jason is wrestling with the pangs of loneliness; Lisa, cops and attitude when Jason expresses an affinity being dumped by Jason. She appeases herself by extracting revenge in a manner that will be familiar to readers of middle-grade and young adult mannerisms in books typical of this faction. As intimated above, the plot thickens when Jason is given a joint assignment with the overly smart Kyra. Subsequently he finds himself looking at her much differently when an inquisitive mind is allowed to romp freely perceiving life quite differently from his own. More often than not when two people finally realizes that there’s more in the cards, there seem to be something that allow progression to take a back seat to due process. In this case, Kyra’s intuition gives the author ample ammunition to add fuel to a raging fire between the two. The narrative has other positives that will be readily recognizable to those that can identify a good storyline for distinct role model aspiration. This can be attributed to Kyra’s all or nothing attitude toward a prestigious national science competition.
Sensitive issues notwithstanding, Ms Davidson delves into the introduction of first time sex innuendo, the mention of condoms alluding to a safe liaison, and the rudiments of peer pressure personified. This is a good love story with young-folk appeal and with the right touch of naiveté without spoiling the author’s intent. Prevalent among the questions would be to see what tactics Lisa uses to rectify her problem, and whether Kyra will stand idly and be coy to the competition. Adult readers will probably find this story trite and worn, but the youngsters will find this to be an enjoyable read as they will want to follow Jason and Kyra's journey from its beginning straight through to its satisfying end.
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