Bright, brave characters star in this exhilarating tale of magic and mystical creatures.
An orphan witchling struggles with school bullies and the likelihood that the mother she’s never known betrayed her coven in the launch of Adams’ (The Santa Thief, 2017, etc.) YA fantasy series.
Like all 9-year-olds in the realm of Orkney, Abigail begins her training in witchery at Tarkana Witch Academy. Friends are hard to come by, especially as Endera, daughter of powerful High Witch Melistra, targets Abigail for ridicule. But Abigail fortunately befriends Hugo Suppermill, a scientist-in-training at the Balfin School for Boys. The two are together—outside of their respective schools—when Abigail first uses witchfire. Though she no longer needs to worry that she’s a magicless “glitch-witch,” Abigail is perplexed by her blue witchfire—everyone else’s is emerald-green. She and Hugo soon learn that this unique color could mean she’s the daughter of Lissandra, a Tarkana witch and reputed coven traitor. With Endera using spells (courtesy of Melistra’s spellbook) against Abigail, it’s hard enough for Abigail to avoid expulsion from the academy. But in the swamps outside of Tarkana Fortress, Abigail will face menacing creatures, such as the giant, wolflike viken, while resisting a new, insistent voice in her head that’s trying to turn her toward dark magic. Adams’ entertaining novel is a prequel to her previous series, also set in Orkney. As in her earlier novels, this series’ first installment is rich in Norse mythology, including references to Thor and Asgard. But it’s the main characters that truly boost the narrative. Abigail and Hugo are particularly strong, two devoted pals who seemingly take turns saving one another. The author’s chiseled prose and speedy pace are complemented by Stroh’s (The Raven God, 2017) sharp illustrations, which create memorable images, most notably pigtailed Abigail in a defiant stance. While subplots are resolved, series arcs are likewise established; Abigail, for example, may be part of a dark prophecy with the threat of war—another tie to Adams’ preceding series.
Bright, brave characters star in this exhilarating tale of magic and mystical creatures.Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-943006-77-9
Page Count: 216
Publisher: SparkPress
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A readable first installment, but future books will need stronger plotlines to pull readers through.
Davis (The Devil Wants Finn Carey’s Soul, 2011, etc.) returns with a historical fantasy of witches and infernal spirits in Colonial Massachusetts, the first in a projected trilogy.
In 1736 Boston, authorities continue to hunt for witches—even though Salem was destroyed decades ago. Some people argue that Gov. William Whitelocke is holding on to such tyrannical methods in order to maintain his own power, and young Cate Allen and her family get caught up in a rebellion against him. Eventually, the situation forces Cate to unlock her own witchy powers. Meanwhile, the governor’s dissolute son, Grayson, is thrust into a position of authority when his dutiful brother, John, is assassinated. With the help of his brother’s military protégé, Henry Rigsdale, and the appointed magical practitioner of Massachusetts Colony, Grayson tries to discover the truth about a Whitelock family curse, and what really happened to the witches of Salem. Meanwhile, the dark sorcerer August Swaine attempts to advance the science of magic, not knowing what types of demons he might be summoning. Davis’ novel intriguingly sets classic fantasy tropes in a historical setting that readers don’t see too often, which results in an enticing blend of familiar concepts in unfamiliar surroundings. Unfortunately, the book’s main problem is one shared by many other first volumes in trilogies: It primarily provides a lot of setup for later installments, spread between the different characters, as Swaine gets in over his head, Cate realizes that she must take up the mantle of a revolutionary, and Grayson sets his sights on something higher than drink. Davis writes some entertaining action scenes, and gets points for giving his characters some reasonable dimension (so that the admirable military man, for example, also has a jealous side). Still, when mentor characters talk about the danger of the “shadowrise,” readers may expect it to play a bigger role in this novel.
A readable first installment, but future books will need stronger plotlines to pull readers through.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0983688730
Page Count: 436
Publisher: Night Blue Woods Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 31, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Despite some nice moments of suspense and adventure, this underdeveloped novel is hampered by clunky prose, a sketchily...
Two friends embark on an adventure to save their family and their world in this Christian fantasy.
Noni and Beeheart, two adolescent Gomis, have lived their whole lives in the quiet village of Gratville in Inod, far away from the dangerous lands of Sur. Though there are rumors of an encroaching threat from the evil Surlis, stirrings of discord already exist between the small, peaceful Gomis and the larger, bureaucratic Krochits. People have started mysteriously disappearing, including Noni’s parents and Beeheart’s mother, but the friends aren’t moved to act until the Surli kidnap Beeheart’s sister, Ranni. To save her, the boys embark on a journey that takes them far from home, where they discover the truth of the nefarious plot: The Surli want to take Inod and its plentiful resources for themselves. Standing in the Surlis’ way are the just, godlike being Ameno and his followers, the only ones who can end the invasion for good. What started for Noni and Beeheart as a simple quest becomes a mission to save the world. Novelist Beutel (Flora’s Story, 2014) clearly found inspiration for this novel in the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The setup of the epic journey and a number of action scenes (including pursuits, a capture and an escape) are strong. However, they are slightly derivative. Problems also arise in the novel’s unnatural dialogue (“A couple of years ago, my father disappeared mysteriously….This made me very sad, since he was the only parent I ever knew and we were very close”), flat characterization, and worldbuilding that piles on information but lacks imagination; for example, many fantastical creatures are barely altered from their real-world equivalents. There are also some uncomfortably stitched-in Christian elements, which appear as constant Biblical quotes and extended lectures, although the messages of love and responsibility are positive ones. The addition of a Jesus analogue in the all-powerful Ameno, though, creates story problems, as it becomes easy for readers to wonder why he doesn’t just fix everything with a wave of his hand.
Despite some nice moments of suspense and adventure, this underdeveloped novel is hampered by clunky prose, a sketchily drawn world and didactic religious lessons.Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2014
ISBN: 978-1490456126
Page Count: 306
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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