Rule delivers a funny, exciting adventure for readers ready to move on from doe-eyed heroines swooning over rugged heroes.
A young woman has been kept hidden for most of her life, but a rare excursion leads to a confrontation with the authorities that are her biggest fear—until she becomes theirs.
At the opening of Rule’s second novel (Strange Sweet Song, 2014), the protagonist’s monthly outing with her twin sister goes badly, and she starts to unravel the dark myth about her kind—the redwing—that has forced her into a life so small she doesn’t have a name. As she learns her own power, she becomes entangled with a secret order of priests, a group of rebels, and the son of the Empress. Though the cover says “yet another Twilight clone,” readers shouldn’t be fooled. Writing in the first person, Rule uses sharp, lyrical prose to describe a culture with its own gods and monsters, mixing ancient worlds and new technology. Although the narrator is blonde with “hyacinth blue” eyes, Rule sidesteps most “chosen one” tropes in favor of dry wit and earthy, original expressions such as “How in wet hell—?” and “Mol’s blazing buttocks!” Romantic moments are sweetly awkward, but it’s action that drives the story. Secondary characters fulfill archetypes, but happily, they’re not all dudes. The attack-happy fighter, the crotchety old lockpick, the stern and determined reporter: all women.
Rule delivers a funny, exciting adventure for readers ready to move on from doe-eyed heroines swooning over rugged heroes. (Fantasy. 12 & up)Pub Date: March 22, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-250-03632-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
An uneven spin-off that will likely appeal to fans of the original franchise.
Readers return to the world of Agrabah from the Disney film Aladdin, this time from the perspective of Princess Jasmine as she faces her biggest challenge yet.
Tragedy strikes Agrabah and the royal family when the sultan is found dead. Even as she grieves her father, Jasmine must worry about her succession to the throne and the growing concerns of a supernatural evil creeping into the kingdom. Though Jasmine feels unprepared to take her father’s place, she accepts her fate. When a challenger emerges and lays claim to the throne, Jasmine must fight to erase everyone’s doubts about a young woman’s ability to reign and take her rightful place as the first sultana. It is interesting to see Agrabah through the perspective of Jasmine and to encounter characters both familiar and new. Monir builds on the Persian-inspired world by giving the new characters Persian names and including nuanced cultural elements. Fighting against long-held traditions and forging a place for women to be equals alongside men are timely themes, and Monir shows Jasmine’s resolve to be a just and suitable leader despite the frightening situations she often encounters. There is a lot of compelling buildup surrounding the mysterious and supernatural elements haunting Jasmine and her world, but the eventual reveal feels confusing and haphazardly patched together.
An uneven spin-off that will likely appeal to fans of the original franchise. (Fantasy. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9781368048217
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
Too slow to ramp up: Only committed series fans may stick with this one.
Readers return to the supernatural town of Hemlock Falls for more mysteries and monsters.
Winnie Wednesday’s story resumes soon after the events of The Luminaries (2022). Now a local celebrity, Winnie has the social approval she’s lacked for so long, but it doesn’t bring her any closer to solving new questions and mysteries. She’s still the only one who knows about the Whisperer, while everyone else is after a werewolf, but she can at least talk to her friend Mario about tracking the elusive nightmare. Winnie’s grief over a death in the prior novel leads to some creatively morbid turns of phrase, while Jay continues to drink and vape through his anguish. Clues and memories from Winnie’s missing father give her more leads to chase. Her renewed social and school lives are heavily dominated by her simmering relationship with Jay and his blindingly gorgeous abs. The familiar rising mist takes its time to appear, but once it does, dangerous magic and monsters are back in the mix. Watching Winnie doubt her status as a Luminary and repeatedly refer to her life as a “clusterfuck” could make readers impatient to see her kick some butt already. Winnie and Jay are cued white.
Too slow to ramp up: Only committed series fans may stick with this one. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781250194145
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Tor Teen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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