An ambitious but slow-moving secret-society tale.
In Anonymous’ fantasy novel, new members of ancient, secret council strategize ways to make the world a better place—and wonder if they should even accept this responsibility at all.
During the First Civilization, which fell 12,000 years ago, a council of spiritual leaders called the Ohm ce Alefa was established to act as the guiding force of morality, form religions, and connect members of the global population. Through the centuries, descendants of the council members, known as the Auromzed, have continued the mission of the Ohm ce Alefa. When the current council members all choose to die, as is the custom, their children come together to prepare for their predestined ascensions. Each are assigned different duties, based on their ancestral lines, which are Indh, Abe, Edinak, Ren, Aryan, and Ehirman, and oversee innovation, knowledge, nature, trade, communication, and war, respectively. Gathering at the estate of Auromzed elder Akram Ehirman, whom they call “Grandfather,” the incoming members (Alexander, Ahana, Adisa, Aurelio, An-Sun, and Antigonus) discuss the council’s responsibilities, ponder the ethics of its existence, and try to think of ways to heal society. Conflicting perspectives disrupt the group’s harmony, and secrets are uncovered, allegiances are tested, and hidden forces pose an existential threat. Alexander was raised away from his fellow Auromzed and is a newcomer to the inner workings of the Ohm ce Alefa, so he effectively serves as the reader’s surrogate as he learns about each backstory, each cultural detail, and each advanced tech gadget. Set in the present day and featuring millennial central characters, this book can best be described as a blend of high fantasy and urban fantasy, and the novel’s world is built with rich detail. The author also presents readers with a well-developed ensemble cast, resulting in a story that’s thought-provoking throughout. However, the novel’s slow pace and multiple, drawn-out philosophical debates (“To say that decisions should come from morals and morals come from God would be to say that men without God have no morals and thus, should make no decisions”) may be off-putting to some.
An ambitious but slow-moving secret-society tale.Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9798989287932
Page Count: -
Publisher: Vestige Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 18, 2023
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Lush, gorgeous, precise language and propulsive plotting sweep readers into a story as intelligent as it is atmospheric.
In 16th-century Madrid, a crypto-Jew with a talent for casting spells tries to steer clear of the Inquisition.
Luzia Cotado, a scullion and an orphan, has secrets to keep: “It was a game she and her mother had played, saying one thing and thinking another, the bits and pieces of Hebrew handed down like chipped plates.” Also handed down are “refranes”—proverbs—in “not quite Spanish, just as Luzia was not quite Spanish.” When Luzia sings the refranes, they take on power. “Aboltar cazal, aboltar mazal” (“A change of scene, a change of fortune”) can mend a torn gown or turn burnt bread into a perfect loaf; “Quien no risica, no rosica” (“Whoever doesn’t laugh, doesn’t bloom”) can summon a riot of foliage in the depths of winter. The Inquisition hangs over the story like Chekhov’s famous gun on the wall. When Luzia’s employer catches her using magic, the ambitions of both mistress and servant catapult her into fame and danger. A new, even more ambitious patron instructs his supernatural servant, Guillén Santángel, to train Luzia for a magical contest. Santángel, not Luzia, is the familiar of the title; he has been tricked into trading his freedom and luck to his master’s family in exchange for something he no longer craves but can’t give up. The novel comes up against an issue common in fantasy fiction: Why don’t the characters just use their magic to solve all their problems? Bardugo has clearly given it some thought, but her solutions aren’t quite convincing, especially toward the end of the book. These small faults would be harder to forgive if she weren’t such a beautiful writer. Part fairy tale, part political thriller, part romance, the novel unfolds like a winter tree bursting into unnatural bloom in response to one of Luzia’s refranes, as she and Santángel learn about power, trust, betrayal, and love.
Lush, gorgeous, precise language and propulsive plotting sweep readers into a story as intelligent as it is atmospheric.Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781250884251
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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