A nonstop adventure with plenty of magic and romance to draw in avid YA fantasy fans.
In this second installment of Owen’s YA fantasy series, a young woman impersonates her twin sister, a queen, while fighting for her own life.
After the events of The Liars Crown (2022), Meren has successfully impersonated her twin sister, Tabra, as the queen of Aryd; her sibling is currently hiding in the desert. But her sister’s evil husband, King Eidolon, knows the truth and has magically bound Meren to him with a sand nymph’s curse. The secret of his apparent immortality is still a mystery, but he somehow sheds “shadows” (“fractured, evil pieces of the king’s soul”) to create younger versions of himself—and his queens are always sacrificed to make it possible. However, one of these shadows, Reven, has managed to fight off the evil that permeates his nature. He and Meren have fallen in love, although he’s forced to constantly fight the shadows still contained within himself: “Their screams are like ragged blades shredding my insides as they try to claw their way out,” he narrates at one point. “If I look down, I know I’ll see their faces bulging out of my skin, even under my clothing.” Reven mounts a daring mission to rescue Meren alongside Cain, a member of a nomadic tribe known as the Wanderers who also vies for her heart. The most engaging adventures begin as the main characters attempt to defeat Eidolon’s shadows once and for all; Meren has power over sand and Reven has power over shadows, but those abilities become unreliable, which effectively puts them all in danger. Fans of Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses series will find much to enjoy in Owen’s work, which features plenty of fast-paced action and sexy-but-forbidden romance. Meren’s tendency to deliver sassy quips also provides a feeling of lightness to the author’s well-drawn and immersive fantasy world, and a jaw-dropping cliffhanger ensures that there’s more story to be told.
A nonstop adventure with plenty of magic and romance to draw in avid YA fantasy fans.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649372819
Page Count: 460
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: April 10, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
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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