Trappings of fantasy veil a stock romance plot. Nineteen-year-old Danica is a shapeshifting hawk. Heir to the throne of an avian race, she hates the generations-old war with the serpent people that has claimed so many of her kin. Her worst enemy, the dreaded, but sexy, Zane Cobriana of the serpiente, proposes a peace treaty bound by a marriage between them. Though Danica mistrusts Zane, how can she refuse the chance at peace? Despite their racial differences, Zane and Danica find each other physically appealing. Is their attraction enough to overcome centuries of hatred? Though the fantasy is strained, Danica’s (PG-rated) love story, which follows the plot of conventional adult romance, is enjoyable for that genre. (Fiction. 13-17)
Pub Date: July 8, 2003
ISBN: 0-385-73071-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2003
A quick read with some interesting fantasy elements, but the passive heroine and sometimes-confusing worldbuilding...
Brianna Paxton has always suspected she is invisible to boys.
It turns out there's a supernatural explanation: A silver bracelet her grandmother gave her keeps Brianna from revealing herself as an uber-desirable and uber-dangerous bandia. According to Blake, the boy who takes it upon himself to educate her about her powers, Brianna is the descendant of Danu, a goddess who punished Killian, the one man she couldn't make love her, with a curse. Now Brianna is embroiled in a cosmic war against the Sons of Killian, an order meant to extinguish the descendants of Danu. (Unsettlingly, the Sons perpetuate themselves through “selective breeding” and seek out high school girls to date based on their gene pool.) To complicate matters, Brianna and Blake share a kiss that forges a magical bond between them, and Blake spends the novel torn between his desire for Brianna and his distrust of her powers. Despite Brianna's supernatural abilities, she is more often passive than active. Others teach her about her powers and history without being asked; she is attacked but rarely goes on the offensive; and romantically, she mostly waits around for Blake to make up his mind.
A quick read with some interesting fantasy elements, but the passive heroine and sometimes-confusing worldbuilding disappoint. (Fantasy. 13-16)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7387-3303-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 7, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Though this series entry moves somewhat slowly, newly discovered mysteries about this fantasyland's history—not to mention...
Intelligent and thoughtful Elisa must negotiate diplomacy, religion and personal desire.
Her Majesty Queen Lucero-Elisa became sole ruler of Joya d'Arena through luck (both good and bad), wise strategic decisions and the holy magic of the Godstone embedded in her navel (The Girl of Fire and Thorns, 2011). Keeping her kingdom, on the other hand, will require diplomacy, political acumen, mercy—and deception. Elisa must fight everything from assassination attempts to rioting mobs, all while defending her country against the terrifying foreign sorcerers with "pale peach" skin and "hair the syrupy gold of honey," who only recently brought fiery destruction on her nation's capital. Elisa, deeply pragmatic and deeply religious, is required repeatedly to make intelligent, unselfish choices for the good of her nation. The lush details of this magical world are thoroughly intertwined with the profound religious faith of both heroes and villains, where each revelation leads to a crack in Elisa's worldview. Those who find no YA fantasy complete without a steamy romance will be thrilled by Elisa's growing passion for her best friend and closest adviser—who is, of course, completely off-limits.
Though this series entry moves somewhat slowly, newly discovered mysteries about this fantasyland's history—not to mention the torments of unresolved sexual tension—will have readers clamoring for volume three . (Fantasy. 13-16)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-202651-4
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
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