An understated and atmospheric tale from a strong new voice in the genre.
Barkley’s debut fantasy novel sees a fiercely independent young thief forced into partnership with a novice sorcerer.
Twenty-two-year-old Ari is a loner and a thief, living wild with her animal companion, a bobcat named Jag. Ari lost her parents at age 7 and her mentor when she was 16. Since then, it has been just her and Jag, and that’s the way she likes it. But Ari has debts, and to fulfill her obligations and keep her thieving reputation intact, she undertakes to steal a dragith stone from the far-off Capital city. The job requires her to travel across country that’s blighted by civil war and to partner with 24-year-old Ely, a seemingly happy-go-lucky young magic user. Ari is accomplished with a sword and a knife, but the journey is quite dangerous. It’s been a number of years since the Malavi people overthrew the monarchy, with the Zaerans as their opposition. Many have died throughout the land since then, and magical beings have been driven into hiding. Ari’s quest is not one of romance or valor but one of bleak necessity and survival. Can she retrieve the dragith stone and resume her old life—or will her family history rear its head? Barkley writes in the third person, almost exclusively from Ari’s point of view but occasionally from Ely’s. The prose is accomplished and the storytelling confident, spurning genre clichés and developing at its own measured pace. Ari is a well-drawn protagonist, and her backstory emerges gradually. Her fortitude and competence will gain readers’ respect, and her lack of sociability makes for a pleasing contrast to Ely—a more open character but one with hidden depths. Jag’s presence adds the perfect measure of warmth. The world in which they journey has dark undertones, as if familiar fantasy elements have rotted away and left a dead-hearted dystopia in their place. Barkley keeps the dialogue realistic and exposition to a minimum, letting the journey define its own stakes. The result is a measured but engaging first installment in a series that offers much promise.
An understated and atmospheric tale from a strong new voice in the genre.Pub Date: May 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63752-963-8
Page Count: 330
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: April 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
A powerful duology closer that explores gender, power, and community in a unique world infused with Aztec mythology.
This thrilling sequel to The Sunbearer Trials (2022) follows Teo and Xio, two semidioses (or demigods) and former friends, as they fight on opposite sides during a war and an apocalypse.
Following the theft of the Sol Stone by the formerly exiled and now unleashed Obsidian gods and their monstrous Celestials, the inhabitants of Reino del Sol are plunged into a dark and uncertain future. Flanked by his best friend and crush, Teo embarks on an odyssey to resurrect Sol and save the world, while Xio wrestles with their role in the Obsidians’ revenge. Teo learns that the power structures and histories he learned from the ruling dioses (including his mother, Quetzal) may hide injustices and inequities that he doesn’t want to restore. Meanwhile, Xio begins to question whether the quest for justice for which they were conscripted to fight might instead be a subterfuge that’s intended to enact an oppressive new world. While action-packed with both battles and romance, the story also deftly delves into themes of systemic violence, generational trauma, and abuse of power. Teo and Xio are complex characters who offer strong representation of and for trans and nonbinary teens, respectively. The central messages of self-discovery, social justice, and building communities of care in a hostile world will resonate with readers who are facing challenges themselves.
A powerful duology closer that explores gender, power, and community in a unique world infused with Aztec mythology. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781250822086
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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