A well-developed character study that does justice to the fantasy genre.
After years spent hiding her identity, a misanthropic princess-turned-thief must join the army in the fight to reclaim her rightful place as royalty in this fantasy sequel.
Ari Debouryne and Ely Novian are on the run. The 20-somethings have stolen the dragith stone and Ari has been forced to reveal her true identity as Princess Ariana, rightful heir to a usurped throne. She’s kept this fact guarded for many years, living a fierce, solitary life with only her symbiotic animal familiar (the bobcat Jagger, “whose purrs [rumble] joyfully into the air and the earth” when she pets him) for company. This novel’s events directly follow those of Barkley’s debut novel, A Memory of Light (2021) and no attempt is made to orient new readers. When Ari finds her underworld contact dying, she and Ely feel obliged to take the dragith stone to the Third Army gathering against the Malavi usurpers. The stone, it transpires, is a weapon that only Ely can wield. Ari may be able to keep him safe, but if she stays, she will be hailed as a princess—a title that comes with responsibilities. Can she reconcile the past and present and find a way forward? Barkley writes from Ari’s and Ely’s third-person perspectives and very occasionally from a lesser character’s, which affords readers a wider understanding of the main conflict. Ari is a remarkable protagonist—strong yet distant, and always tightly controlled. Her relationship with Ely is one of tolerance, unshakable camaraderie, burgeoning friendship, and perhaps something more. This uncertainty is representative of a story that eschews predictable genre conventions; for example, the magical artifact is a MacGuffin that the characters fight not to use, and the final battle plays out not in rousing overview but in breathless, confused flashes. Barkley’s prose is occasionally poetic, but the narrative itself is unromantic and the dialogue realistic. Events gain impetus from character development rather than tricks of plotting or prose, and the final resolution proves more bitter than sweet—an outcome that many fantasy fans will welcome.
A well-developed character study that does justice to the fantasy genre.Pub Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-63988-416-2
Page Count: 524
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Review Posted Online: July 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.
When Death-Cast doesn’t call, fate intertwines the lives of two boys, both haunted by their pasts and with futures they can’t escape.
In this third installment of the series that opened with 2017’s They Both Die at the End, Paz Dario waits every night for Death-Cast to call—as it should have for his father nearly 10 years ago, when Paz shot him to save his mother’s life. But the call never comes. Death-Cast killed Paz’s dreams of an acting career: No one will hire him now because the world sees him as a villain. When Paz tries (not for the first time) to put an end to his suffering, an unexpected encounter with Alano Rosa, the heir of Death-Cast, stops him. Both in a place of desperation, Alano and Paz sign a contract to live for Begin Days instead of waiting for their End Days. As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series, this new installment explores heavy themes of abuse, mental health, self-harm, and suicide. Paz grapples with a recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Silvera surrounds Alano and Paz with a web of complex relationships. Although the protagonists fall fast for one another and form a deep connection over Alano’s desire to support Paz, Silvera emphasizes the importance of professional help. Both Alano and Paz have Puerto Rican heritage. The cliffhanger ending promises more to come.
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring. (content warning, resources) (Speculative fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063240858
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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
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