Mostly fun; sometimes overwhelming.
“Unlike the rest of the City, Gwendolyn’s problem was turning her imagination off.”
Nearly-13-year-old Gwendolyn lives in a city where everything—buildings, clothing, sky—is gray and dismal. She escapes bullying from cruel classmates—and life’s tedium—by using her fertile imagination, fed by neglected books at the Hall of Records. One day, she discovers to her horror that she has begun causing things to happen just by thinking them. A classroom reverie leads Gwendolyn to inadvertently create floppy rabbit ears on Missy, a classmate. When two sinister men in bowlers show up, the stakes grow higher; Gwendolyn’s goals change from saving Missy to saving a city to, eventually, saving several worlds from dark energy related to the Faceless Gentlemen. The adventure is a full one, perhaps too full, including both dystopian and steampunk worldbuilding elements; astonishing beasts; beginning flirtations; hair-raising scrapes; and, finally, a return to Gwendolyn’s City of No Stories. Has she made a difference? The denouement will feel gut-wrenching for readers who have come to love Gwendolyn’s companions, siblings Starling and Sparrow, unless they read carefully to the end, which hints at additional special powers and adventures in the future. Kolonius Thrash, a dark-skinned, teenage, swashbuckling hero with dreadlocks, adds some diversity to the mostly white cast. Frequent direct addresses from the narrator and running jokes add quaintness; the plentiful use of antiquated mental-illness tropes contributes a caustic quality.
Mostly fun; sometimes overwhelming. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-63163-172-6
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Another gripping entry in an engaging series that’s sure to keep readers hooked.
In this third series entry, Ella Durand and her friends embark on a journey that uncovers startling truths.
Starting her third year at the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors, Ella, a 13-year-old Black girl whose great-grandfather, Jean-Michel Durand, created the institute, has a lot on her plate. Along with keeping up with her magic lessons, Ella’s determined to uncover more of the secrets and lies surrounding the world of Conjurors and Marvellers—and her school in particular. This pursuit leads her to explore mysteries surrounding New Orleans’ Underworld and the history of the creation of the Cards of Deadly Fate, a conjure deck used to imprison people. She still has the help of best friends Jason and Brigit, and this time even more classmates join them. But will their search for answers be worth it, or will their efforts unravel the fabric of their magical society in possibly irreparable ways? Clayton continues to expand on the complex and fascinating magical world she’s populated with dynamic and appealing primary and supporting characters. This sequel delves even deeper into the culturally diverse world Ella and her friends inhabit, taking readers on an emotional ride. This work will best be appreciated by those who are familiar with the earlier books in the series.
Another gripping entry in an engaging series that’s sure to keep readers hooked. (Paragons guide, Arcanum Training Institute information) (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781250874825
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
Meaningful cultural connections provide a solid foundation for this inventive fantasy adventure.
A Korean American tween and her friends team up to recover powerful heirlooms before they’re used to destroy the world.
Fresh off her world-saving heroics in Lia Park and the Missing Jewel (2022), expectations are high for 12-year-old Lia’s first year at the International Magic School. She is anxious to prove her abilities as a powerful spell-caster among her new classmates. Instead, it’s Joon, Lia’s best friend, whose talents impress, stirring jealousy, competition, and insecurity between the two. Complicating matters given their growing distance, Lia and Joon are matched with classmates Eugene and Chloe and sent on a dangerous mission. They must retrieve hidden artifacts before the King of Darkness uses them to unleash imprisoned monsters into the world. Along the way, Lia learns that a traitor has been sabotaging their efforts, and she has reason to suspect each of her teammates. Revelations about the double agent and a mysterious prophecy set up the next volume. As in the first installment, Korean words and phrases appear throughout the text, and Korean landmarks act as locales, adding to the sense of place. Strong worldbuilding continues to provide a captivating magical universe inspired by Korean mythology. Grounding the story is the platonic relationship between Lia and Joon, which realistically portrays the tension between establishing your own identity while preserving a close friendship.
Meaningful cultural connections provide a solid foundation for this inventive fantasy adventure. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 30, 2023
ISBN: 9781534487963
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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