A slyly engrossing tale that deftly combines fantasy and horror elements.
A town becomes beset by evil forces in this debut fantasy.
Norick is a place apart. A thousand leagues north of civilization, the town sits alone in a vast wilderness—and its inhabitants like it that way. They’ve grown rich off the resources of the land, though in time they’ve forgotten to keep an eye on the shadow-filled woods that surround them. As they begin celebrating the centennial of the town’s founding—a one-night festival of free food and beer—something untoward is unfolding on the fringes of the community. A magistrate finds a blackmail letter affixed to his door, demanding that he meet someone in a grove in one hour. A fisherman discovers that some of his tools have been stolen. The town’s oldest resident, a woman present at its founding, is behaving strangely, warning of a coming storm. A mother suffering from a vision tells her 10-year-old daughter: “It’s coming” and “You need to run.” Norick’s only defense is the Town Guard, a less-than-professional police force run by Capt. William Breeve. William has been a barely functional alcoholic since the death of his wife and child. Does he have it in him to save Norick from the enemy who is coming? Unfortunately, neither William nor Norick has much of a choice. In this series opener, Kruse’s prose is tight and brooding, summoning suspense out of Norick’s nighttime alleyways and forests: “The hour of chaos had come. William felt the horror of it then, but also the thrill. The world itself had gone mad—suddenly, irreparably mad. Everything was coming undone, loosening, the order of things cleaved apart.” The blend of horror and fantasy is an appealing one, and the author hops effectively among his large cast of characters. The story takes its time revving up, but once it gets going, it becomes a true page-turner. Since more books in the series are planned, perhaps inevitably readers will be left with the sense that Kruse has saved a lot of the good stuff for later. Even so, Norick is a fun place to visit for a while.
A slyly engrossing tale that deftly combines fantasy and horror elements.Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-73306-941-0
Page Count: 380
Publisher: Fire's Edge Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A strong ending and a new classic of the fantasy genre.
Serapio’s newly won rule over the city of Tova is threatened from all sides in the third installment of Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky trilogy.
Serapio, now the Carrion King, has triumphed over Tova. As he’s an avatar of the crow god, his new kingdom is engulfed in a permanent eclipse. But his fight isn’t over yet. The powerful clan matrons conspire to assassinate him, and outside of Tova, the bloodthirsty Lord Balam is gathering a terrible force to destroy him. When a strange old woman tells Serapio that the coyote god has a prophecy that will show him how to defeat his enemies, Serapio is eager to hear it. But the prophecy is contradictory and confusing and finishes with the promise that “in winning he would lose everything.” Meanwhile, Xiala is home on the mysterious, matriarchal island nation of Teek. As she struggles to channel her strange ocean powers, Teek is invaded by Lord Tuun, who wants to force the women of Teek to build a navy for Balam’s war against Serapio. Xiala must find a way to outsmart Tuun, save what remains of her homeland, and make it back to Tova to find Serapio before Balam’s forces overtake him. Even as Roanhorse brings her epic story to a close, there are no simple answers here. Serapio is both a victim of the plot that bound him to the crow god without his consent and a brutal strategist when it comes to furthering his goals. Everyone from the goodhearted Xiala to the villainous Balam must contend with sacrificing pieces of themselves—and the lives of others—to achieve their ends. Roanhorse’s fans won’t be surprised to hear that she’s crafted a complex, suspenseful, and ultimately satisfying ending to her masterful trilogy.
A strong ending and a new classic of the fantasy genre.Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781534437708
Page Count: 608
Publisher: Saga/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
AWARDS
A touching end to a tale about cursed bloodlines, politics, and love.
Amora and her lovable crew are back in a dramatic duology closer.
After the life-changing events at the end of All the Stars and Teeth (2020), the recently crowned Queen Amora sees her kingdom of Visidia in turmoil, her authority questioned, and her ideals put in check by the secrets kept by her family over centuries. Now unable to wield her powerful magic and with half of her soul trapped inside the dashing pirate Bastian, Amora and her friends sail all over the kingdom to find a legendary artifact that may break her curse and finally allow her to make things right for her people. This powerful sequel effectively resolves wider political and societal issues and thoughtfully engages with Amora’s inner struggles with regard to her power, accountability for mistakes made in the past, her romantic feelings for Bastian, and her ongoing PTSD after witnessing the death of her father. The book is at its best when focusing on the captivating found family formed by Amora’s close friends and their fierce loyalty to one another, although some of the drama within the crew is unnecessarily and frustratingly protracted due to Amora’s unconvincing resolve to keep secrets from them. The denouement may feel rushed, but the book ultimately sticks the landing. In a world featuring characters with diverse physical appearances, Amora has brown skin.
A touching end to a tale about cursed bloodlines, politics, and love. (map) (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-30781-1
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Imprint
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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