While leaving readers with many questions, Carmack creates enough suspense that they’ll be scrambling for the sequel.
Carmack introduces weather magic and a girl who will go to great lengths to reclaim her power in the first of the Stormheart series.
In Aurora’s world, magical storms strike with ferocity, and only a few are born into the magic to combat them. As the sole heir to her kingdom, Aurora is expected to keep the storms at bay. The only problem? She has no magic. With storms fast approaching, Aurora’s mother, the queen regnant, orchestrates an arranged marriage between her daughter and a powerful prince from a neighboring kingdom. When the prince deceives her, Aurora is desperate to find a way out of the marriage while still ensuring her kingdom’s safety, when she stumbles upon an illegal market where she finds that magic can be learned. Hoping to return with new abilities, Aurora leaves home and joins up with a band of storm hunters. Her quest brings many unexpected surprises, and it is a race against time, as her kingdom is under attack. Carmack introduces an exciting new world that contains intriguing magic and complex social structures, but the worldbuilding feels incomplete. The magic is at times difficult to grasp, and a romantic storyline distracts from the action. While readers are introduced to a number of interesting characters, they unfortunately remain in the peripherals. Aurora is a white 18-year-old; her intended, Cassius, is likewise white.
While leaving readers with many questions, Carmack creates enough suspense that they’ll be scrambling for the sequel. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: June 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7653-8631-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Tor Teen
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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