An often thrilling and nuanced fantasy novella.
In this sequel to Beatrice and the Basilisk (2012), a Texas teenager must protect herself and her family from dark forces who aim to take advantage of her magical abilities.
As a new high school freshman, Beatrice McIlvaine has relatively few worries—that is, until she slays a dragonlike creature that threatens the town of Seabrook, near the Gulf of Mexico. After saving her family and the townsfolk from a basilisk, her life temporarily returns to normal. But then a van full of mysterious teenagers appears, and their leader is fully aware of Beatrice’s ability to “dream things so strong they really happen.” The group reveals that they’re escaping from a brutal headmaster who kept them in a top-secret government-run academy (“a school that’s more like a prison”) for people with special talents. They demand Beatrice’s help, and after she refuses, she’s abducted by the headmaster himself, who threatens to harm Beatrice’s mother unless she helps him track down the runaway students. Beatrice manages to escape and join the ex-pupils on their quest to stop the headmaster’s evil plan to eliminate millions of people as part of a “Real life Thanos conspiracy”—a reference to real-life Marvel superhero films. In order to protect her new friends and the rest of the world, she must learn to fully unleash her own superpowers. Over the course of this sequel, father-daughter writing duo Bruce McCandless and Carson McCandless continue to make Beatrice a compelling lead character. As the plot unfolds, she brings her trademark snark to nearly every scene as she confronts the challenges of coming-of-age as well as a traumatic loss. Each short, accessible chapter drives readers along at a breakneck pace—that is, until the story’s rather abrupt conclusion, which will leave readers hungry for more. Indeed, one may wish that there were more opportunities to develop the runaway-student characters—Mila, Lester, Victor, Chantel, and Sanjay—but there may be more time to do so in a future installment.
An often thrilling and nuanced fantasy novella.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-9983351-2-4
Page Count: 127
Publisher: Ninth Planet Press
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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