Sherlock Holmes fans will enjoy the electrifying adventure and value the insights into the character traits that make the...
In this third in an ever-improving series, the teenage Holmes plunges right away into an adventure that involves his brother Mycroft and a trip to Russia disguised as a member of a troupe of actors.
An introductory interlude featuring Sherlock and his mentor Amyus Crowe is mercifully short and leads logically (of course) into another Holmes-ian escapade. Returning home from the United States, Sherlock and Amyus travel to London for a luncheon only to find a knife-wielding and stunned Mycroft in a closed room (alone) with a corpse. Mycroft, shaken by the implications of this event, decides to involve Sherlock in his professional life—he's a spy master for the British government—as his companion on an upcoming Russian mission. Readers will appreciate the broad cast of characters and varied settings, as well as the mystery elements. Red herrings abound, and confusion reigns until Sherlock has one of his trademark eureka moments. The ensuing spectacular chase through Moscow’s streets results in a breathless (and surprising) climax and satisfying resolution of most of the book’s mysteries.
Sherlock Holmes fans will enjoy the electrifying adventure and value the insights into the character traits that make the adult Holmes so fascinating. (Mystery/adventure. 13-17)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-374-38769-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2012
BOOK TO SCREEN
Bound to be popular.
A suddenly trendy trope—conflict and romance between members of conquering and enslaved races—enlivened by fantasy elements loosely drawn from Arabic tradition (another trend!).
In an original, well-constructed fantasy world (barring some lazy naming), the Scholars have lived under Martial rule for 500 years, downtrodden and in many cases enslaved. Scholar Laia has spent a lifetime hiding her connection to the Resistance—her parents were its leaders—but when her grandparents are killed and her brother’s captured by Masks, the eerie, silver-faced elite soldiers of the Martial Empire, Laia must go undercover as a slave to the terrifying Commandant of Blackcliff Military Academy, where Martials are trained for battle. Meanwhile, Elias, the Commandant’s not-at-all-beloved son, wants to run away from Blackcliff, until he is named an Aspirant for the throne by the mysterious red-eyed Augurs. Predictably, action, intrigue, bloodshed and some pounding pulses follow; there’s betrayal and a potential love triangle or two as well. Sometimes-lackluster prose and a slight overreliance on certain kinds of sexual violence as a threat only slightly diminish the appeal created by familiar (but not predictable) characters and a truly engaging if not fully fleshed-out fantasy world.
Bound to be popular. (Fantasy. 13 & up)Pub Date: April 28, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-59514-803-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015
Full of drama, emotional turmoil, and high stakes.
What happens to the world after the dust from a revolution has settled?
Friends Annie and Lee were children from very different circles when Atreus killed Lee’s father, dragonlord Leon Stormscourge, ending the uprising on the bloodiest day in Callipolis’ history. For too long the dragonriders held all the power while their people starved and lived in fear. Nine years later, a new generation of dragonriders is emerging, children selected and trained on merit, not bloodlines. Their dragons are finally mature enough for them to compete for Firstrider, a position of power that can give Lee back a small part of what his family lost. However, not only is Lee competing against Annie, but rumors are circulating that some of the royal family have survived and have dragons of their own. Everyone will have to make a choice: Restore the old regime, support the First Protector and the new caste system he created, or look for a new way, no matter what the cost. From the beginning, this book pulls readers in with political intrigue and action. What keeps them invested, however, are the complex relationships between many cast members. Choices are complex, and the consequences for all could be deadly. The world is well fleshed out and believable. Annie and Lee are light skinned; secondary characters are diverse, and race is a nonissue in this world.
Full of drama, emotional turmoil, and high stakes. (author’s note) (Fantasy.14-17)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-51821-1
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
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