Primarily a setup for subsequent novels, but the boy-dragon duo makes this an admirable tale all its own.
In this opening of Halloran’s (Trial of the Dragon, 2016, etc.) latest YA fantasy series, a teen in a post-apocalyptic world endures totalitarian rulers and bonds with a dragon like no other.
After a nuclear war killed billions, a group called the Dominion took control. Thirteen-year-old Gabe lives in a city called Newton, which is actually a former hospital complex. This keeps civilians safe from wild dragons outside the walls. Children, in fact, are restricted from ever leaving Newton, but this doesn’t stop Gabe from trailing his father Saul’s dragon-hunting party. Though the men manage to slay a dragon and Gabe even helps, some declare the teen’s surprise presence a curse that caused the death of a few hunters. Saul salvages the dragon’s eggs, and Gabe later spots a leftover one that differs from the rest in color and size. The dragon that ultimately hatches is likewise unique, a runt Gabe names Squawk and who, because the boy is the first to touch the egg, bonds with him. Unfortunately, dragons in the compound are meant to bond with Dominion members, not lowly citizens. Now Gabe’s under the watchful eye of the Count, the Dominion’s chief enforcer, a woman who mercilessly wields Newton’s sole gun. He has good reason to fear for his well-being, and likely Squawk’s as well. Halloran’s story is a worthy start to his series, introducing curious elements such as the devastating war and someone inciting the Dominion by incessantly painting “NA” on Newton’s walls. Details come much later, but only enough to tease future books. Though the narrative’s simple, characters’ relationships are gleefully complex. The Count, for example, goes from viciously meting out punishment to behaving almost maternally toward Gabe. Mandy, too, the Dominion member who adopts Squawk (naming him Toby), seems romantically interested in Gabe, while he tries convincing her that the dragon responds to her commands. The boy’s link to his dragon is endearing, much more than an owner-pet connection, as Gabe essentially communicates with Squawk telepathically. The teen, meanwhile, suffers a good deal of maltreatment, but his steady resolve steers the story clear of inordinate bleakness.
Primarily a setup for subsequent novels, but the boy-dragon duo makes this an admirable tale all its own.Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2017
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 297
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of...
Hoover’s (November 9, 2015, etc.) latest tackles the difficult subject of domestic violence with romantic tenderness and emotional heft.
At first glance, the couple is edgy but cute: Lily Bloom runs a flower shop for people who hate flowers; Ryle Kincaid is a surgeon who says he never wants to get married or have kids. They meet on a rooftop in Boston on the night Ryle loses a patient and Lily attends her abusive father’s funeral. The provocative opening takes a dark turn when Lily receives a warning about Ryle’s intentions from his sister, who becomes Lily’s employee and close friend. Lily swears she’ll never end up in another abusive home, but when Ryle starts to show all the same warning signs that her mother ignored, Lily learns just how hard it is to say goodbye. When Ryle is not in the throes of a jealous rage, his redeeming qualities return, and Lily can justify his behavior: “I think we needed what happened on the stairwell to happen so that I would know his past and we’d be able to work on it together,” she tells herself. Lily marries Ryle hoping the good will outweigh the bad, and the mother-daughter dynamics evolve beautifully as Lily reflects on her childhood with fresh eyes. Diary entries fancifully addressed to TV host Ellen DeGeneres serve as flashbacks to Lily’s teenage years, when she met her first love, Atlas Corrigan, a homeless boy she found squatting in a neighbor’s house. When Atlas turns up in Boston, now a successful chef, he begs Lily to leave Ryle. Despite the better option right in front of her, an unexpected complication forces Lily to cut ties with Atlas, confront Ryle, and try to end the cycle of abuse before it’s too late. The relationships are portrayed with compassion and honesty, and the author’s note at the end that explains Hoover’s personal connection to the subject matter is a must-read.
Packed with riveting drama and painful truths, this book powerfully illustrates the devastation of abuse—and the strength of the survivors.Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1036-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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