A colorfully written work in a fantastical world that young and old readers will enjoy.
A young fairy discovers her true identity as her kingdom readies for war against the dreaded trolls in this middle-grade fantasy sequel.
Legh, the author of Bella Santini in the Land of Everlasting Change (2021), brings her ordinary teen–turned–extraordinary fairy back in an adventure that finds Bella exploring her true identity and helping the fairies go up against their nemeses, the trolls. Knowledge of the first book isn’t necessary, as Legh catches readers up on how 14-year-old Bella was brought to the fairy world, where she attended fairy school, grew wings, and found she had the ability to use magic. The second book picks up with Bella and her school chums, Matteus and Shibhona, as they face a very human problem: a bully named Novaq (who also appeared in the previous book). It’s just one of several instances in which Legh ingeniously tackles common human problems in a fantasy setting; the story also addresses peer pressure and unrequited love. Before long, the group discovers a troll army threatening the city, and their journey home takes them to secret underground tunnels and royal locales. The author packs a lot into this brief novel, as Bella and her friends fight enemies with fairy magic and good common sense. Bella also solves the mystery of who she is and where she came from, and it’s a story that the author knows requires further explanation; the book ends with the words “The End…For Now” before a preview of the next planned installment, Bella Santini Visits the Dragon’s Lair.This workvividly brings to life a world of fairies, witches, dragons, and gargoyles with descriptive prose, as when the characters ride on the back of Torvieto, “a winged wolf creature,” over “the inky black carpet of forest below”; Nixon provides beautiful, full-color illustrations. Bella is a remarkable, heroic protagonist, and there are clearly more tales to be told about her and her eclectic circle of friends.
A colorfully written work in a fantastical world that young and old readers will enjoy.Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-956503-20-3
Page Count: 220
Publisher: Waterside Productions
Review Posted Online: March 18, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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