by Bryan Davis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2011
An exciting and evocative Christian fantasy puts an imaginative spin on the Exodus tale, but it is marred by a confusing structure and questionable implications. By no means a stand-alone, the narrative jumps immediately into action from the close of series opener Starlighter (2010). Jason and his companions are still endeavoring to rescue humans from their wretched slavery to dragons in an alternate world. As the newly hatched black dragon king plots to co-opt the Starlighter's mystical power, his opponents seek his mysterious white counterpart in the Northlands. Five separate story lines follow a hefty cast of both dragons and humans to climactic cliffhangers. If the episodic plot depends heavily on convenient devices, the settings are sturdily crafted, the imagery is exquisite and the themes of friendship, sacrifice and the power of stories are heart-wrenching and thought-provoking. The protagonists, human and dragon alike, are complex and admirable; but despite assurances that some powerful secondary characters are "good" and others "evil," it is difficult to distinguish between their behavior. Both are cryptic and manipulative, demand unquestioning submission to cruel "tests" and inflict vicious punishment for failure. However, much of this disturbing subtext will likely pass by the target audience, who will delight in the wildly inventive worldbuilding, exciting adventure and copious religious allusions. (Fantasy. 12 & up)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-310-71837-6
Page Count: 422
Publisher: Zondervan
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2011
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
More by Bryan Davis
BOOK REVIEW
by Bryan Davis
BOOK REVIEW
by Bryan Davis
BOOK REVIEW
by Bryan Davis
by Rachel Lynn Solomon ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2020
A dizzying, intimate romance.
Rowan teams up with her academic nemesis to win a citywide scavenger hunt.
Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been rivals in a never-ending game of one-upmanship since freshman year. Now, on the last day of senior year, Rowan hopes to best Neil once and for all as valedictorian, then win Howl, a scavenger hunt with a $5,000 cash prize. She also hopes to sneak away to her favorite romance author’s book signing; no one’s ever respected her passion for the genre, not even her children’s book author/illustrator parents. But Rowan’s named salutatorian, and vengeful classmates plot to end her and Neil’s reign. At first their partnership is purely strategic, but as the pair traverse the city, they begin to open up. Rowan learns that Neil is Jewish too and can relate to both significant cultural touchstones and experiences of casual anti-Semitism. As much as Rowan tries to deny it, real feelings begin to bloom. Set against a lovingly evoked Seattle backdrop, Rowan and Neil’s relationship develops in an absorbing slow burn, with clever banter and the delicious tension of first love. Issues of class, anti-Semitism, and sex are discussed frankly. Readers will emerge just as obsessed with this love story as Rowan is with her beloved romance novels. Rowan’s mother is Russian Jewish and Mexican, and her father is American Jewish and presumably White; most other characters are White.
A dizzying, intimate romance. (author’s note) (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: July 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4024-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
More by Rachel Lynn Solomon
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More About This Book
by Sarah Arthur ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 30, 2024
Evocations of Narnia are not enough to salvage this fantasy, which struggles with thin character development.
A portal fantasy survivor story from an established devotional writer.
Fourteen-year-old Eva’s maternal grandmother lives on a grand estate in England; Eva and her academic parents live in New Haven, Connecticut. When she and Mum finally visit Carrick Hall, Eva is alternately resentful at what she’s missed and overjoyed to connect with sometimes aloof Grandmother. Alongside questions of Eva’s family history, the summer is permeated by a greater mystery surrounding the work of fictional children’s fantasy writer A.H.W. Clifton, who wrote a Narnialike series that Eva adores. As it happens, Grandmother was one of several children who entered and ruled Ternival, the world of Clifton’s books; the others perished in 1952, and Grandmother hasn’t recovered. The Narnia influences are strong—Eva’s grandmother is the Susan figure who’s repudiated both magic and God—and the ensuing trauma has created rifts that echo through her relationships with her daughter and granddaughter. An early narrative implication that Eva will visit Ternival to set things right barely materializes in this series opener; meanwhile, the religious parable overwhelms the magic elements as the story winds on. The serviceable plot is weakened by shallow characterization. Little backstory appears other than that which immediately concerns the plot, and Eva tends to respond emotionally as the story requires—resentful when her seething silence is required, immediately trusting toward characters readers need to trust. Major characters are cued white.
Evocations of Narnia are not enough to salvage this fantasy, which struggles with thin character development. (author’s note, map, author Q&A) (Religious fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2024
ISBN: 9780593194454
Page Count: 384
Publisher: WaterBrook
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
Share your opinion of this book
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.