Like his fellow Mystyx, Sasha, Lindsey and Krystal, Jake has magical powers that stem from the Goddess Styx and is poised to...
Angry, tormented and lovestruck Jake narrates this third installment of Arthur's (Manifest, 2010) Mystyx series.
Like his fellow Mystyx, Sasha, Lindsey and Krystal, Jake has magical powers that stem from the Goddess Styx and is poised to take a fundamental role in the struggle between Light and Dark. Which side Jake will choose, however, is uncertain, and a sinister but compelling voice inside his head keeps urging Jake to embrace his anger and fight for the Dark. Meanwhile, Jake's feelings for Krystal intensify, and two rich bullies target Jake with verbal and physical aggression. Most nuanced here is Jake's family: His mother is missing under mysterious circumstances, and his father, aware of the Mystyx legacy but in denial, is believably strained and muddled when he talks to Jake about the family's powers. Jake's descent into Dark power is handled well, and the portrayal hints at relationship violence without deeply exploring the issue. Some of the text feels awkward and unpolished. A few but not all chapters begin with epigraphs from Merriam-Webster's dictionary, the verb tense repeatedly slips between present and past and too many lines of dialogue come with lengthy back story or a repetitive explanation of why the character said what he or she did.Pub Date: July 19, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-373-22993-2
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Kimani Tru
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...
Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.
Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.
Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes
A gripping thriller in dystopic future Los Angeles.
Fifteen-year-olds June and Day live completely different lives in the glorious Republic. June is rich and brilliant, the only candidate ever to get a perfect score in the Trials, and is destined for a glowing career in the military. She looks forward to the day when she can join up and fight the Republic’s treacherous enemies east of the Dakotas. Day, on the other hand, is an anonymous street rat, a slum child who failed his own Trial. He's also the Republic's most wanted criminal, prone to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. When tragedies strike both their families, the two brilliant teens are thrown into direct opposition. In alternating first-person narratives, Day and June experience coming-of-age adventures in the midst of spying, theft and daredevil combat. Their voices are distinct and richly drawn, from Day’s self-deprecating affection for others to June's Holmesian attention to detail. All the flavor of a post-apocalyptic setting—plagues, class warfare, maniacal soldiers—escalates to greater complexity while leaving space for further worldbuilding in the sequel.
This is no didactic near-future warning of present evils, but a cinematic adventure featuring endearing, compelling heroes . (Science fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-399-25675-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
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