Melodrama and mindless violence make for a mediocre sequel.
Future leaders of Santarem confront slavery and sacrifice in this sequel.
Born Princess Adriana but raised as a Storyspinner by the Von Arlo Performers, Johanna has discovered that being a long-lost princess is more a burden than a blessing. Everyone wants to manipulate or murder her: magic-wielding foreign Keepers Jacaré, Leão, and Pira, armed with special affinities and freighted with emotional baggage, need her to restore a magical wall; one-dimensional dukes Belem and Inimigo want more power; and Natas—malevolent Keepers bent on mind-control and graphic torture—Vibora and Sapo want to destroy the wall and enslave the world. Even her traveling companion, Rafael DeSilva, heir to Santiago and the princess’s betrothed, is initially suspect, given his love of power and sense of duty. Everybody suffers, emotionally and physically; Rafi and Johanna compete for the mopey martyr title, while back home, Rafi’s brother, Dom, struggles with second-son syndrome. Short chapters and frequent battles should move the thin plot along, but contrived cliffhangers and constant shifts in point of view cause unnecessary repetitions of the same scenes. The novelty of a New World setting—flora and fauna indicate a Central or South American setting, and italicized vocabulary resembles Portuguese, suggesting Brazil—is lost under stereotypical pseudo–medieval European elements, ill-explained religion, troubling anachronisms (such as foxholes and improvised explosive devices), and weak worldbuilding.
Melodrama and mindless violence make for a mediocre sequel. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: March 22, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-0568-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
A winning game of feelingsball.
A former football star, who never thought she’d play again after she came out as transgender, steps back onto the field for one last season to help her team win state.
Grace Woodhouse used to know where she belonged. She had Division I schools lined up to recruit her, but that was before what happened during playoffs last year, before she came out as trans, and before she quit the team. Although her single father and new friend group support her, Grace feels lost as her senior year begins. When one of her old teammates asks her to help him with his technique, she quickly realizes that he and the other captains are hoping for more than her expertise from the sidelines—they want her to rejoin the team. Grace can’t resist the opportunity to play again, but her return draws unwanted national attention that makes her question her future and who she wants to be. Flashback chapters written in the second-person present tense bring Grace’s past to life, which helps maintain momentum and makes her emotional journey feel more immersive. A heartfelt, goofy, and diverse cast of secondary characters surround Grace, who’s white, as she navigates self-doubt, friendship, complicated feelings for her ex-girlfriend, and what she wants to do after graduation. Overall, this coming-of-age sports narrative is honest, gentle, and hopeful.
A winning game of feelingsball. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781646145027
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
A meticulously crafted magical medical mystery with an emotionally substantive romance.
As in earlier entries, this trilogy closer blends genres as it presents a quest to resolve a strange plague alongside a heartfelt romance and an exploration of shifting allegiances.
With Theo Brood’s father dispatched, Theo and Ren Monroe begin the arduous task of turning the Brood estate into something more egalitarian. Meanwhile, medical student Mercy Whitaker has been sent by her mentor, Dr. Horn, to help victims of a plague that’s sweeping nearby farms. Quick thinking and dogged detective skills lead her right to the source—but not to a full explanation of what’s going on. Concurrently, questions arise after someone from Ren’s past goes missing. Nevelyn Tin’Vori’s careful research, part of her ongoing desire to undermine the Brood dynasty, leads her right to the answers everyone seeks, ones that are directly connected to Mercy’s gruesome discovery. Alliances new and old form and break, as a shadowy group called the Makers threatens to bring down not just the Broods but magic itself. The solidity of the central characters, who continue to grow emotionally through their many varied experiences, brings coherence to the series. Though Ren and Theo, who present white, have grown up over the course of the books, the steadily upbeat pacing and judicious worldbuilding remain ideal for teen readers, preventing any stagnation in this series that ends as interestingly as it started.
A meticulously crafted magical medical mystery with an emotionally substantive romance. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781665930499
Page Count: 544
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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