Although it lacks some finesse, this orphans’ tale offers plenty of fun adventures.
In this debut YA fantasy, two young orphans and an aristocrat navigate a war-torn world while at cross purposes.
In the year 111, the kingdom of Laitmea demands money from its neighbors, but tiny Haputa refuses, retaliating with raids; meanwhile, a deadly plague rages. In a Quirton, Haputa, orphanage, 14-year-olds Trilliapa and Quipeneay have become fast friends. They share a taste for weaponry and rebellion; Quip thirsts to join the raiders, while Trill has become a skilled pickpocket. They also both dislike Redgenold Peterson, who bullies younger children. (Little do they know that Redge actually has a sensitive soul.) In Firdell, Laitmea, 14-year-old Lady Ettalara “Lara” Annalee is on the run after her parents’ deaths. She has a strategically important book to give her king but is caught in a Haputian raid and finds shelter in the Quirton orphanage. When the city is overrun, the three orphans are enslaved by Laitmea soldiers. Though the two Haputians despise Lara as a Laitmean, the three sometimes unite while engaging in escapes, adventures, battles, intrigue, and journeys, plus encounters with pirates and dragons—and romance. Meanwhile, Redge has his own role to play in the political turmoil. In her novel, Crilly writes a meandering narrative that sometimes loses focus or becomes overly improbable; why, for example, wouldn’t the orphanage confiscate Trill’s and Quip’s dangerous weapons? That said, the young, female heroes are appealingly spirited: full of gusto and ready for anything. They can also be very funny, as when the educated Lara channels her boredom into sentence diagramming (“ ‘The horrid dragon’ is an appositive phrase with ‘dragon’ as a noun”). The author’s pencil illustrations ineptly depict people, but her scenery is more skillful.
Although it lacks some finesse, this orphans’ tale offers plenty of fun adventures.Pub Date: May 29, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-57-890273-9
Page Count: 350
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and...
A deliciously creepy page-turning gem from first-time writer and illustrator Brosgol finds brooding teenager Anya trying to escape the past—both her own and the ghost haunting her.
Anya feels out of place at her preppy private school; embarrassed by her Russian heritage, she has worked hard to lose her accent and to look more like everyone else. After a particularly frustrating morning at the bus stop, Anya storms off, only to accidentally fall down a well. Down in the dark hole, she meets Emily, a ghost who claims to be a murder victim trapped down in the dank abyss for 90 years. With Emily’s help, Anya manages to escape, though once free, she learns that Emily has traveled out with her. At first, Emily seems like the perfect friend; however, once her motives become clear, Anya learns that “perfect” may only be an illusion. A moodily atmospheric spectrum of grays washes over the clean, tidy panels, setting a distinct stage before the first words appear. Brosgol’s tight storytelling invokes the chilling feeling of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002), though for a decidedly older set.
In addition to the supernatural elements, Brosgol interweaves some savvy insights about the illusion of perfection and outward appearance. (Graphic supernatural fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: June 7, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59643-552-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
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