An epic fantasy notable for its deceptions, elaborate traps, and worldbuilding.
In this sequel to The Valley Chronicles (2017), Selbrede’s heroes risk a prophesized death in order to procure a weapon that can end all war.
Several months have passed since teens John and Violet Jenson saved the magical realm of the Valley. Violet hopes to put their previous traumatic adventures behind them; John, however, has been using runes, in a manner taught to him by Princess Ruby, to teleport back and forth to the kingdom of talking animals and the vanquished Soldiers of Sorrow. He convinces his sister to return—along with her dog, Hodgey, who can now talk—for a meeting with the Inner Council to decide how best to rule the Valley. The conference introduces the siblings to the smarmy Councilman Hewyd, who believes that Princesses Ruby and Sapphire need guidance. John, who’s now able to detect the Soldiers’ magic, thinks that Hewyd may be possessed. Suddenly, the meeting is interrupted by a battered and bloody Trent, an ally believed lost during the war against the Soldiers. Fearing a resurgence of hostilities, Ruby sends John and a select band of heroes after an artifact capable of bringing the war to a close; whatever the object is, it’s kept beyond the Mountains of Mystery. For this second volume in his series, Selbrede doubles down on the quirkiness and fantasy tropes, which include an apocalyptic prophecy that the world will end if anyone from the Valley passes the Mountains. Pushing against the fourth wall, Violet thinks, “that was exactly what our fantasy adventure needed—a vague and unhelpful set of deadlines and rules.” Chapters told from Hodgey’s viewpoint are intriguing, as well, particularly when the other animals see him as one their own. Frequently, however, characters who aren’t from Earth often use the colloquial, sarcastic language of the protagonists; for instance, clever Princess Sapphire says things such as “I don't think brute force is going to cut it.” Luckily, Selbrede’s gifted plotting still takes things in numerous, satisfying directions. A devastating epilogue will make the next volume a must for fans.
An epic fantasy notable for its deceptions, elaborate traps, and worldbuilding.Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-365-90670-1
Page Count: 590
Publisher: Lulu
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
APPRECIATIONS
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
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.
bookshelf
