by Claire Legrand ; illustrated by Jaime Zollars ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 20, 2021
Troubling and moving in equal measure.
Children must save a kingdom in a stand-alone companion to Foxheart (2016).
In the Vale, a massive Break ripped the mountains from the now-lost lowlands. Now the wicked Gulgot climbs ever closer to the top of the chasm, pushing darkness and evil before it. Twelve-year-old, pale-skinned Brier is Westlin’s darling, riding her unicorn and capturing the lightning needed for the war; Thorn, her street-sweeping identical twin, cries easily and considers herself the shadow of her sister. But when lightning injures Brier, Thorn finds herself impersonating Brier on a perilous journey to find more ammunition to use against the Gulgot. While Thorn is the titular protagonist, the perspective shifts among both sisters as well as the 16-year-old Queen, Celestyna, and Cub, a mysterious creature orphaned by the Break. Thorn’s story comprises mostly rousing, if perilous adventure, a nascent lesbian crush, and some sad losses, but Celestyna’s arc concerns the royal curse that fights the Gulgot and contains violence at odds with the otherwise family-friendly story. Thorn may not recognize her own strength, but the many depictions of family, especially sisters, make it clear to readers that the gentle heart is the stronger one. Luscious writing and magical moments notwithstanding, the complex moral questions make this suited to an older audience than the package would suggest. Illustrations not seen.
Troubling and moving in equal measure. (map) (Fantasy. 12-14)Pub Date: April 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-269666-3
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
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by Rebecca Ross ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 26, 2023
The well-paced romantic tension is a highlight of this enjoyable duology closer.
Even a war driven by gods can’t sever communication between journalist lovers Iris and Roman in this steampunk-adjacent romantic adventure.
A prologue sets the scene: Dacre, a god strummed to sleep by magic in Divine Rivals (2023), will not slumber forever. His willingness to wage war to acquire more powerful magic leads him to lay waste to entire towns, and Inkridden Tribune journalist Iris Winnow and war correspondent Roman Kitt can no longer be assured the other is safe—or even still alive. In Iris’ world of cigarette smoke, copper pipes, and driving goggles, colleagues affectionately call each other by their last names, watch each other’s backs, and face danger on the front lines. Though Underling Correspondent Roman is traveling with Dacre’s army, he questions why he was healed of his grievous wounds, while at the same time, he gradually recovers memories of Iris and recalls that she was special to him. Their magically connected typewriters allow for the rediscovery of their love and for communicating potentially deadly information about the invasion of Hawk Shire. The story primarily unfolds from Iris’ and Roman’s viewpoints, and while the prose occasionally uses well-worn phrases, Anglophiles will particularly enjoy the worldbuilding, and returning readers will welcome appearances from Capt. Keegan Torres; her wife, Marisol; and Dacre’s archnemesis—and wife—the goddess Enva. Main characters present white.
The well-paced romantic tension is a highlight of this enjoyable duology closer. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250857453
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
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by Tahereh Mafi ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 15, 2011
Part cautionary tale, part juicy love story, this will appeal to action and adventure fans who aren't yet sick of the genre.
A dystopic thriller joins the crowded shelves but doesn't distinguish itself.
Juliette was torn from her home and thrown into an asylum by The Reestablishment, a militaristic regime in control since an environmental catastrophe left society in ruins. Juliette’s journal holds her tortured thoughts in an attempt to repress memories of the horrific act that landed her in a cell. Mysteriously, Juliette’s touch kills. After months of isolation, her captors suddenly give her a cellmate—Adam, a drop-dead gorgeous guy. Adam, it turns out, is immune to her deadly touch. Unfortunately, he’s a soldier under orders from Warner, a power-hungry 19-year-old. But Adam belongs to a resistance movement; he helps Juliette escape to their stronghold, where she finds that she’s not the only one with superhuman abilities. The ending falls flat as the plot devolves into comic-book territory. Fast-paced action scenes convey imminent danger vividly, but there’s little sense of a broader world here. Overreliance on metaphor to express Juliette’s jaw-dropping surprise wears thin: “My mouth is sitting on my kneecaps. My eyebrows are dangling from the ceiling.” For all of her independence and superpowers, Juliette never moves beyond her role as a pawn in someone else’s schemes.
Part cautionary tale, part juicy love story, this will appeal to action and adventure fans who aren't yet sick of the genre. (Science fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-208548-1
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
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