Dynamic characters galvanize this entertaining, well-paced magical tale.
A cursed teen and a blind orphan join forces against an onslaught of perils in Kelly’s YA fantasy.
Like many of the kingdom of Illyamor’s youths, 18-year-old Sabine Gillesella is cursed with a supernatural power (“people blessed with magical abilities were viewed with suspicion and fear”). She has turned invisible and will eventually fade away into nothing. Desperate, she makes a deal with the enemy: Duke Aurich, one of the Halwardians who have enslaved Sabine’s people, the Awhye. Sabine’s invisibility allows her to spy on nobles for the duke, a fire mage who for months has promised to help control her magic. Sabine opts to put her trust in Anora, a blind orphan seer who weaves tapestries at the Halwardian castle and foresaw the invisible girl’s arrival. Sabine learns that if she guides Anora to a creature-riddled forest that people don’t generally survive, she can be cured. The two teens (along with Sabine’s younger brother Rafi) run into demons and monsters that crave human flesh or souls. Kelly excels at speedy worldbuilding but doesn’t rush the narrative. As the siblings and Anora trek to the Dikisi Forest, the novel introduces myriad creatures, both terrifying and possibly friendly, as well as numerous additions to the cast. Aurich is an unquestionable menace; he pursues Sabine (and, for a reason not immediately clear, Anora) with an unnerving firewalking ability (transferring his spirit through flames). Sabine is an easy protagonist to like, as she’s protective of her family and friends; she and her hotheaded but equally loyal brother both stumble into understated, engaging romances. The story continues to dish out startling plot turns (not just in the final act) before reaching an unforgettable open ending.
Dynamic characters galvanize this entertaining, well-paced magical tale.Pub Date: July 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781738863396
Page Count: 330
Publisher: Library and Archives Canada
Review Posted Online: Sept. 6, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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