A somewhat gangly YA tale that has definite appeal but doesn’t fully grow into its heritage.
Zyburo’s debut novel is a modern-day retelling of the Arthurian myth for a YA audience.
Miles Arthur is a scrappy foster kid who’s routinely used as a punching bag by his foster brother, Kay. Aside from that, though, his home life is about as close to paradise as it can get. He lives on a massive estate with a live-in maid and attends an exclusive private school. However, things start to change for Miles on the day of the state fair. He finally bests Kay in a fencing match; the girl he likes, Gwen, agrees to hang out with him; and he even wins a test-of-strength carnival game shaped like a sword in an anvil. Then things start to get weird: a crazy old man tells him that he’s Merlin, that Miles is King Arthur reincarnated, and that Gwen is Guinevere. He also informs Miles that unless he can find and retrieve the scabbard of the sword Excalibur within the next two weeks, Miles’ foster father will die. Miles must deal with this high-stakes quest on top of school, homework, skirmishes with his brother, and football practice while also trying not to embarrass himself in front of Gwen. Zyburo ably depicts the heightened reality of an overwhelmingly stressful young-adult life. The story also digs deeper into the Arthurian legend than many other derivative works do, which is commendable. However, it’s not a perfect melding; more often than not, the elements taken from the Arthur legend seem like stage dressing or a video-game skin. As a result, the feel of authentic Arthurian romance is frequently lost amid the background noise of the modern setting and contemporary teen dialogue. The quest element is fun, moves at a good pace, and keeps the plot churning, but it doesn’t quite make the story reach the heights of authentic Arthurian drama.
A somewhat gangly YA tale that has definite appeal but doesn’t fully grow into its heritage.Pub Date: April 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-942922-09-4
Page Count: 266
Publisher: Wee Creek Press
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An engaging tale, featuring a protagonist who confronts unspeakable tragedy with grace and humor.
Carswell’s debut YA novel details a teenage girl’s recovery after her mother’s suicide.
Vancouver Island resident Beth is known at her high school as the girl who has epileptic seizures. Then, during spring break of her junior year, her mother kills herself, fating Beth to have a new label among her fellow students. As she deals with her own loss and confusion over why her parent would commit such an act, she must also help her younger sister, Amy, cope. At the same time, Beth realizes that her possessive, erratic boyfriend, Connor, is becoming abusive. Meanwhile, her narcissistic frenemy, Candice, tries to make Beth’s mother’s suicide about herself, and Beth finds that her other friend Fuzzy’s feelings for her aren’t strictly platonic. Her role in the spring musical becomes her salvation, but also a source of increasing confusion, as she finds that her co-star, Rudy, is everything she wants a boyfriend to be. A new body piercing and a crazy hair coloring notwithstanding, Beth strives to make all the right decisions. This engrossing novel confronts painful truths head-on, which makes it impossible to put down. Beth is a realistic teenager who makes mistakes, including giving Connor more chances than he deserves or are advisable for her own safety. Indeed, Carswell’s finely drawn young characters all behave just as teenagers should, with the exceptions of Rudy and Fuzzy, who are both so mature and caring that readers may wonder how Beth could choose one over the other. Only Beth’s father is a shadowy figure, as he merely makes dinner and occasionally tells Beth to leave her bedroom door open when a boy visits.
An engaging tale, featuring a protagonist who confronts unspeakable tragedy with grace and humor.Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4602-9008-8
Page Count: 390
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A clever, feel-good opening to a fantasy series with a tenacious heroine.
The start of a new YA series features a teen orphan and a protective brotherhood of Spirit Knights.
Fifteen-year-old Claire Terdan lives in a group foster home in Portland, Oregon. Six years ago, her family died in a house fire, and her only dependable friend since has been a boy her age named Drew. One day in school, after she punches a bully who mocks her, the principal suspends her for a day. She sneaks out of school and into town only to be accosted by several cats and dogs. Meanwhile, at the nearby Oregon Historical Society, a man named Justin arrives on his white horse, Tariel. He’s there, dressed in his green Spirit Knight armor, to borrow (some might say steal) an antique hat that has sentimental meaning to his mentor, Kurt. When he meets Claire, he offers her a ride home. Telling Justin she doesn’t have one, Claire ends up with him in Vancouver, Washington, at his family’s farm. There she meets his wife and two young daughters and eventually learns about the Palace, a magical, dormitory-style structure where Spirit Knights—a brotherhood that protects the world from ghostly, vengeful Phasms—dwell. Justin isn’t sure why Claire seems familiar until he learns that she’s the daughter of a dead Knight named Mark. French (Superheroes in Denim, 2016, etc.) establishes a crafty new fantasy series with a light smattering of genre fixtures, including talking animals, an enchanted pendant, and the firmly held belief that “Girls can’t be Knights.” Most of the narrative drama comes from grounded conflicts that teens should relate to, like Claire’s attraction to the older Justin and the lousy conditions of the “sanitized prison” that is her group home. Later scenes in which a detective named Avery physically assaults Claire are not for the faint-hearted. The upside for the tale’s heroine is that Justin and his family turn out to be perfect for her; despite early misgivings about them, she decides to “admire the example they set and be grateful for it.” The story should provide a heartwarming boost to anyone in a tough situation.
A clever, feel-good opening to a fantasy series with a tenacious heroine.Pub Date: June 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-68063-030-5
Page Count: 246
Publisher: Myrddin Publishing Group
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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