A stand-alone fantasy that fails to engage.
The battle of the Eight is about to start, and two old enemies must face off in the final battle between good and evil, life and death.
Tristan Nightsworn and Martha von Falkenstein once were warriors, allies, and lovers who fought side by side against a common enemy in the Fifth Crusade, until betrayal tore them apart. Eight hundred years later, they once again come to life, emerging from the depths of Germany’s Black Forest. Now leaders on two different sides of a brewing war, each must co-opt allies to their side—Martha on the side of good, and Tristan on the side of doom. Eight fighters in total must be aligned to fight the final battle to decide the fate of the world. Martha’s chosen warriors are troubled teens, while Tristan is surrounded by a serial killer and a neo-Nazi, among others. But before they can fight, they must find the two fabled swords, Xanas and Aurin, the blades needed to seal the end. Originally published in Germany, this violent, dark stand-alone fantasy features a fast-paced plot with underdeveloped worldbuilding that is vaguely religious. The omniscient narration follows every character, major and minor, with a distance in tone that prevents emotional connection with the protagonists as the story hurriedly builds up to an anticlimactic, unsatisfying ending. Most characters are adults who are assumed White excepting a Black teenage girl from an immigrant family from Mali.
A stand-alone fantasy that fails to engage. (author interview) (Fantasy. 16-adult)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64690-009-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Arctis Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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