A rousing middle volume makes up for the flaws in its predecessor, Stoneheart (2007). Edie and George seek their friend the Gunner, a World War I memorial statue who can leave his plinth anytime except midnight. The vile Walker, roaming the earth immortally, has kidnapped him. As George and Edie set out, a gargoyle snatches George. After being tossed and battered in the air, George evades multitudes of taints (malevolent creature statues) and confronts a knight before learning that he must fight three duels. Edie needs help and information, but an unexpected betrayal leads her to a past London where she “glinted” her murder at the Walker’s hands. She fights fiercely, but the scene of the Walker drowning her in the Thames plays out horrifyingly just as she foresaw from the present. Underground, the steady Gunner scrapes his way to safety, gently gathering the heart stones that the Walker stole from girls and women he slaughtered. George spends one wrenching hour in a WWI battle. Where the first volume’s prose was dry, Ironhand’s is crisp. Fast-paced, serious and gruffly tender. (Fantasy. 10-13)
Pub Date: May 20, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4231-0177-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Entertaining archaeological adventures unfortunately find humor in pettiness and snark. Twelve-year-old twins John and Philippa share a vision in the dentist’s office in which mysterious Uncle Nimrod encourages the children to visit. At his direction, they blackmail their parents into sending them to England, where they learn they are half-djinn. Soon they are embroiled in a race against the wicked Iblis, in a competition to turn the balance of mystical power in the world to good or evil. With the help of a djinn with an Irish brogue, a human butler with an almost intriguing past, a stereotyped Egyptian chauffeur, and a bit of cleverness, the children save the world for the forces of good while coming into their birthright. Puns abound, but too many are knowing winks to adult readers, and many others rely on snide little cruelties at the expense of secondary characters or entire nations. Funny and clever, but weakened by cheap shots. (Fantasy. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-439-67019-5
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Thomas Warvold, founder of the land of Elyon, constructed walls around its four towns, ensuring, so he thought, his people’s safety from the dangers in the surrounding countryside. Even before his sudden, mysterious death, Warvold chose 12-year-old Alexa Daley to succeed him. Driven by her curiosity about the world outside, Alexa finds a tunnel that leads her to the woodlands. There, with the help of the forest-dwellers, she passes three trials and garners information and allies to save her country. After a slow introduction, the plot takes off, and the book becomes a real page-turner. Alexa, with her brains, courage and grit, proves to be an appealingly strong female hero and the story, enriched by folkloric traditions and a solid mystery, is sure to engage reader interest. The resolution provides a satisfactory ending, but there are plenty of loose ends to be tied up in the second and third volumes of the trilogy. Here’s a good high fantasy for the girls. Bravo! (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-439-70093-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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