A tapestry, both humble and rich.
An epic tale of abandonment, travel, secrets, family, and the meaning of art.
Clo and her father, art restorer and small-time thief, never live for long in one village; when it’s time to move on, he signals her, she meets him at the forest’s edge, and they walk through the night to someplace new. One day, he doesn’t show. A swineherd delivers a half-legible note: Clo must take this paper ticket of “half passage” to someone named Haros, near “th’ water…full o’ salt.” So Clo, “wall-jumper, turnip-picker,” embarks on a lonely journey halfway across a raging sea to an island where people and skies are gray, time doesn’t pass, a dried-apple–faced old woman inexplicably knows her, and fish can be carded and spun into shimmering yarn. Exquisite in detail, Andrews’ stunning novel gives careful importance to objects; even a simple shawl holds revelations. Chapter titles sparkle and tantalize (“In Which Our Hero Dies”), and prose sings. Tropes of sacrifice and Greek mythology serve as scaffoldings. There must be a way for Clo to escape her repulsive fate of carding and spinning silver fishes’ guts into yarn and maybe even to help a vulnerable, always-damp, flute-playing boy who was scooped from the ocean—but that path must allow for the literal, physical, yarn-based weaving of “humid forests and gleaming deserts, rimy fields and green valleys”—and human lives. Characters seem White.
A tapestry, both humble and rich. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-49601-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A wonderful, whimsical winner.
Beetle and Kat return in another gloriously imaginative adventure.
In this follow-up to Beetle & the Hollowbones (2020), green-skinned goblin Beetle and necromanced skeleton Kat anticipate Carnival Night, when the Great Dragons will arrive with the lighting of a magical beacon. When the dragons fail to show, Kat and Beetle seek help from another dragon, physician Evelyn Drake, and her vampire companion, Dr. Delia Darlingtonia. Involved in planning aspects of the carnival, Kat’s overbearing parents pit her against another magician in a winner-takes-all competition that could see Kat lose her own abilities. Kat grapples with balancing her family’s crushing expectations and her authentic self. Beetle has her own troubles: She feels herself changing into something unrecognizable as her goblin magic grows, leading her to great lengths to repress it. As their relationship deepens, Kat and Beetle struggle with their own comings-out and redefining their move from friendship to something more. Avoiding any second-book slump, Layne’s phenomenal sequel mixes fantasy, social themes, and an inclusive and unforgettable cast with a gentle, swoonworthy romance. The worldbuilding and magic systems are complex but accessible, brought to life with stunningly rendered, vibrant illustrations. The book opens with a brief recap for those unfamiliar with its predecessor. This volume makes a fine jumping-in point, but readers would be remiss to lose out on a single minute in this world.
A wonderful, whimsical winner. (dramatis personae, magic systems, creature guide, character designs, promo art, mini comic) (Graphic fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781665907484
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
A very promising kickoff with arbitrary but intriguingly challenging magic.
A middle schooler discovers both up and down sides to being able to foretell the future.
Members of the Cleary clan in alternating generations have always been granted predictive powers on their 4,444th day of life, and Celia has been eagerly looking forward to her first vision—until, that is, it comes and reveals that cute, quiet classmate Jeffrey is slated to die in a hit-and-run. Weighing her horror against her wise Grammy’s warnings that fate is inexorable, she contrives a way to head off the accident…only to foresee another fatal mishap in his future. And another. By the time she’s saved his life five times in a row, she’s not only exhausted, but crushing on the hapless lad. (As, unsurprisingly, he is on her.) Reintgen generally keeps the tone of his series opener light, so even after Celia discovers that there’s ultimately a tragic price for her intervention, the ensuing funeral service is marked by as much laughter as sorrow. The author surrounds his frantic but good-hearted protagonist with a particularly sturdy supporting cast that includes gratifyingly cooperative friends as well as her Grammy and loving, if nonmagical, mom. There don’t seem to be many Cleary men around; perhaps that and certain other curious elements, like a chart listing particular Cleary specialties with names such as Dreamwalker and Grimdark, will be addressed in future entries. Main characters read as White.
A very promising kickoff with arbitrary but intriguingly challenging magic. (Fantasy. 10-13)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66590-357-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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