A sexy YA fantasy that creates a deep bedrock for sequels.
Texas novelist Owen (The Cursed King, 2021, etc.) launches a new YA series with a tale of a princess and her nonruling twin who battle an ancient enemy of their kingdom.
In the kingdom of Aryd, 18-year-old Meren is Princess Tabra’s twin. As the second-born of the pair, she must live outside the palace as a peasant with Omma, her caretaker. Should anything happen to her sister, Meren would take her place permanently in the public’s eye. The main threat comes from King Eidolon of Tyndra, an immortal with a penchant for murdering Aryd’s female rulers. Meren finds her primary relief from her drab life in sneaking outside the walls of the city of Enora to the desert. Even as the second-born she has special powers over sand, and she uses them there to sculpt glass flowers for Tabra. Meren also meets with Cain, a handsome desert Wanderer who expects to become the next “zariph” of his “zariphate.” Cain asks Meren to join his Wanderers and travel to Aryd’s Sacred Tree, but she’s kidnapped by a shadowy figure who takes her through a portal to the region called Wildernyss. The coldly attractive man is Reven, a Shadowraith who can manipulate darkness. When he claims to need Tabra’s help, Meren pretends to be her sister and learns Reven’s secrets, which both terrify her and draw her to him. The author playfully leads readers through sharp fantasy twists as Meren and Reven travel together, encountering a petrified dragon skeleton and a harpy eagle that mimics the sound of a woman climaxing. Owen adds modern phrases to keep things fresh (Meren calls herself a “total bitch”) and a bit of political commentary in lines like: “People...don't want to acknowledge a problem exists unless it affects them personally. And leaders, once they gain power, don’t want to risk losing it again.” Reven turns out to have a shocking connection to King Eidolon that further complicates his entanglement with Meren. The finale rattles the status quo enough to pique interest in future installments.
A sexy YA fantasy that creates a deep bedrock for sequels.Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64937-152-2
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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