A New-Age tale of surrendering to God’s will packaged as a Hogwarts-like adventure.
In Cherubim’s debut YA novel, a young, abused girl discovers magic in her life as she inherits wealth and a position at a school for the spiritually gifted.
Mary Baker, who spends hours locked in a closet by her abusive mother, mourns when the kind grandfather she hardly knew dies. When Mary inherits Grandpa Hal’s haunted orchard, as well as his hidden wealth and an important stone, her mother takes the battle to court—and Mary begins a happier life in the custody of her grandfather’s friends, who run the orchard. Just as she adjusts to better circumstances, she is whisked off to the White Light Center, a New-Age school where she learns how to communicate with spirits and surrender to God. The plot’s long buildup means that most of the action—the loss of Grandpa Hal’s precious stone and the attempt to recover it—is crammed into the last half, and Mary’s new friends at the White Light Center are rushed in their character development. The supernatural subplots bear some similarity to the Harry Potter series, but those concerned about witchcraft in Rowling’s tales might appreciate the God-centered focus here (although the magic itself is divorced from religion and dependent on crystals). The magical practice—talking to good spirits, shunning evil ones and consulting the Holy Spirits—may attract readers itching for such adventures. Author Cherubim imaginatively renders key factors in her spiritual system—surrendering to the will of God—throughout the novel, initially in Mary’s first swimming lessons and later as a deus ex avis, when some of Mary’s problems are solved, just as she has given up solving them, by her parrot. While Mary and her friends and family have some depth, the villains—Mary’s wicked mother, an evil sorceress and the wicked Zad—are completely two-dimensional placeholders for bad deeds. Still, young readers may appreciate the world of spirits and strange creatures found at a magic school.
A New-Age tale of surrendering to God’s will packaged as a Hogwarts-like adventure.Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-1482659696
Page Count: 284
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy.
A war between gods plays havoc with mortals and their everyday lives.
In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85743-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
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