A fantasy novel about the clash of good and evil that fails to capture the imagination.
In Hay’s debut YA fantasy series starter, a young warrior must choose between two opposing masters.
Eighteen-year-old Aria has grown up on a compound controlled by Keriggor, a powerful spirit-being who raids villages to capture humans, like her, who have spiritual connections. The other members of her family didn’t serve Keriggor’s needs, so they were murdered long ago by the magician’s Shadowers—demonic creatures with alligator faces. Aria, however, is Keriggor’s servant, bearing his dark mark on her forehead, and he’s been grooming her as his apprentice. Just as Aria is about to make a covenant binding herself to Keriggor forever, she experiences a vision of a different, kinder being: a man named Eli who tells her that he’s a king. She manages to escape Keriggor’s compound under the protection of Eli’s spirit. Now, for the first time that she can remember, she’s on her own in a wintry wilderness, and she only has Eli to guide her. After months of travel, she meets Daven and his friends—rangers in the service of Corinnia, a city under the king’s protection. She’s granted asylum there, but it’s clear from the outset that most of its residents don’t fully trust her. Indeed, they’re right to doubt her, for Keriggor’s influence on her still lingers, and she isn’t quite ready to fully commit herself to Eli. As she’s pulled back and forth between the two figures—who are influenced, at times, by others who serve them—Aria isn’t sure what she wants for herself. She’ll have to decide sooner rather than later, as in the inevitable battle to come, she’ll be forced to pick a side.
Over the course of this book, Hay’s prose is simple yet atmospheric in style, and it illuminates a world where the spiritual and physical exist side by side. At one point, for instance, Aria marvels at her first physical meeting with Eli: “After claiming to be a king, one would assume a spirit would manifest itself in a way that conveyed such a title, but there was nothing majestic in his physical appearance….To human eyes, his plain features and simple attire made him seem insignificant.” Aria is portrayed as feisty and willful—in fact, she’s a bit reminiscent of the Game of Thrones character with the similar name of Arya—and she brings a recognizably human perspective to this allegory of good and evil. It’s an allegory, however, that feels rather on-the-nose; disappointingly, the book’s moral complexity is no greater than that of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, so there’s no real sense of suspense surrounding Aria’s ultimate decision. Although the use of such a Manichaean framework doesn’t always make for an uninteresting plot, Hay fails to embellish hers with intriguing secondary characters or a truly immersive setting. As a result, there simply isn’t enough in these pages to hold readers’ interest, and Aria’s actions feel far less urgent than they should.
A fantasy novel about the clash of good and evil that fails to capture the imagination.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 174
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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