A well constructed YA fantasy, though the characters’ emotions deserve more exploration.
This opening volume of a YA fantasy series finds a teen searching for his true parents while torn between two potential lovers.
Eighteen-year-old Jasper Alazon is a member of the magical community of Lyteshaed. He’s in the woods performing the Ritual of Protection for his clan, the Zephyra, when he hears screaming. He returns to find the Zephyra castle ablaze and his father, Kato, battling a “shrouded figure.” An angelic woman in white appears and says, “Hurry, and save them all.” Jasper learns that the attack is an illusion, a warning of what may happen if he’s unprepared. Kato, who took Jasper in as a child after his parents died, knows that the Lady in White’s presence means that “It has begun.” This refers to the unblocking of Jasper’s memories of his true identity and magical skills. To protect the community and begin his training, the teen moves in with Kato’s friend Zara. Her son, Luca, is Jasper’s age, and they get along swimmingly—that is until Jasper’s acquaintance from the beach, Freya, starts hanging out with them. Freya herself is from another magical community; she can bring small creatures back to life. Together, the trio will learn about Jasper’s past and about their feelings for one another. Brown’s novel presents a smoothly paced, uncluttered fantasy that’s ideal for those new to the genre. Dreams, protective sigils, and special stones color the narrative. However, watching the characters carve their own paths is much more engaging than Jasper’s performing magic and saying, “It just came to me.” Jasper’s and Luca’s romantic feelings for each other remain oddly subterranean for most of the story. When Jasper wonders why Luca has become cold in Freya’s presence, Luca says it’s “Just something I have to deal with on my own.” Friction comes not from communal judgments of the pair but emotional misunderstanding. This is refreshingly inclusive but makes for facile plotting. Likewise the villain, Camille, justifies her actions with, “I’m evil. What did you expect?” A motive beyond Evil 101 may come in the next installment.
A well constructed YA fantasy, though the characters’ emotions deserve more exploration.Pub Date: April 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73482-150-5
Page Count: 219
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.
When Death-Cast doesn’t call, fate intertwines the lives of two boys, both haunted by their pasts and with futures they can’t escape.
In this third installment of the series that opened with 2017’s They Both Die at the End, Paz Dario waits every night for Death-Cast to call—as it should have for his father nearly 10 years ago, when Paz shot him to save his mother’s life. But the call never comes. Death-Cast killed Paz’s dreams of an acting career: No one will hire him now because the world sees him as a villain. When Paz tries (not for the first time) to put an end to his suffering, an unexpected encounter with Alano Rosa, the heir of Death-Cast, stops him. Both in a place of desperation, Alano and Paz sign a contract to live for Begin Days instead of waiting for their End Days. As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series, this new installment explores heavy themes of abuse, mental health, self-harm, and suicide. Paz grapples with a recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Silvera surrounds Alano and Paz with a web of complex relationships. Although the protagonists fall fast for one another and form a deep connection over Alano’s desire to support Paz, Silvera emphasizes the importance of professional help. Both Alano and Paz have Puerto Rican heritage. The cliffhanger ending promises more to come.
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring. (content warning, resources) (Speculative fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063240858
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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
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