A great YA fantasy follow-up that ably develops its plot and characters.
In Hansen’s (Monster’s Children, 2017) second installment of the Tricksters’ War series, Jamie and the Chosen set out into the desert, where they engage in spectacular battles as they hunt for a stolen spear.
Before diving into the action, the story begins with background regarding the Chosen’s teacher, Hempel, and how the battle between the forces of Order and the Tricksters came about. Jamie and her crew then gather together with a variety of allies for celebrations and contests. The Chosen’s previous exploits are famous, earning them great respect from their fellow attendees. During the celebrations, there are a number of competitions, ranging from friendly to lethal; the latter will decide who will wield the signature weapons of the gods. When the Raven Spear, won by a Middle Eastern member of the Spear Clan named Katlyn, is stolen, Jamie sets out to retrieve it with Katlyn, Russ, and Maria. Nettle, bearer of the Raven Sword, stays behind. Along the way, the group encounters Garaks, giant flying creatures with octopus-like faces that eventually befriend the Chosen, due to their affinity for Maria, who rescues them. The group also confronts various enemies, including the Magi, a skeletal creature, dressed in yellow, that moves like the wind and throws bolts of lightning; Dev, a stone giant; and Nakata, a Champion who’s rumored to have trained with the Queen of Order. Ultimately, when the group attacks a city held by the forces of Order, Hansen doesn’t disappoint, providing some magnificent battle scenes, including a vivid description of Jamie charging into the fray on the back of a griffon: “She laughed and raised one dagger in the air as she roared in unison with the beast. The creature turned and charged into warriors like a bowling ball through pins.” But perhaps the author’s greatest talent lies in drawing out the emotions of his characters; Jamie, for example, experiences bloodlust and nostalgia, moons over Nettle, and muses on the contradictions that she observes within herself and among others. Readers will likely be spoiling for the next book.
A great YA fantasy follow-up that ably develops its plot and characters.Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-982060-28-2
Page Count: 314
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
At Buckkeep in the Six Duchies, young Fitz, the bastard son of Prince Chivalry, is raised as a stablehand by old warrior Burrich. But when Chivalry dies without legitimate issue—murdered, it's rumored—Fitz, at the orders of King Shrewd, is brought into the palace and trained in the knightly and courtly arts. Meanwhile, secretly at night, he receives instruction from another bastard, Chade, in the assassin's craft. Now, King Shrewd's subjects are imperiled by the visits of the Red-Ship Raiders—formidable warriors who pillage the seacoasts and turn their human victims into vicious, destructive zombies. Since rehabilitating the zombies proves impossible, it's Fitz's task to go abroad covertly and kill them as quickly and humanely as possible. Shrewd orders that Fitz be taught the Skill—mental powers of telepathy and coercion possessed by all those of the royal line; his teacher is Galen, a sadistic ally of the popinjay Prince Regal, who hates Fitz all the more for his loyalty to Shrewd's other son, the stalwart soldier Verity. Galen brutalizes Fitz and, unknown to anyone, implants a mental block that prevents Fitz from using the Skill. Later, Shrewd decrees that, to cement an alliance, Verity shall wed the Princess Kettricken, heir to a remote yet rich mountain kingdom. Verity, occupied with Skillfully keeping the Red-Ship Raiders at bay, can't go to collect his bride, so Regal and Fitz are sent. Finally, Fitz must discover the depths of Regal's perfidy, recapture his true Skill, win Kettricken's heart for Verity, and help Verity defeat the Raiders. An intriguing, controlled, and remarkably assured debut, at once satisfyingly self-contained yet leaving plenty of scope for future extensions and embellishments.
Pub Date: April 17, 1995
ISBN: 0-553-37445-1
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Spectra/Bantam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1995
A breezy and fun contemporary fantasy.
A tightly wound caseworker is pushed out of his comfort zone when he’s sent to observe a remote orphanage for magical children.
Linus Baker loves rules, which makes him perfectly suited for his job as a midlevel bureaucrat working for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, where he investigates orphanages for children who can do things like make objects float, who have tails or feathers, and even those who are young witches. Linus clings to the notion that his job is about saving children from cruel or dangerous homes, but really he’s a cog in a government machine that treats magical children as second-class citizens. When Extremely Upper Management sends for Linus, he learns that his next assignment is a mission to an island orphanage for especially dangerous kids. He is to stay on the island for a month and write reports for Extremely Upper Management, which warns him to be especially meticulous in his observations. When he reaches the island, he meets extraordinary kids like Talia the gnome, Theodore the wyvern, and Chauncey, an amorphous blob whose parentage is unknown. The proprietor of the orphanage is a strange but charming man named Arthur, who makes it clear to Linus that he will do anything in his power to give his charges a loving home on the island. As Linus spends more time with Arthur and the kids, he starts to question a world that would shun them for being different, and he even develops romantic feelings for Arthur. Lambda Literary Award–winning author Klune (The Art of Breathing, 2019, etc.) has a knack for creating endearing characters, and readers will grow to love Arthur and the orphans alongside Linus. Linus himself is a lovable protagonist despite his prickliness, and Klune aptly handles his evolving feelings and morals. The prose is a touch wooden in places, but fans of quirky fantasy will eat it up.
A breezy and fun contemporary fantasy.Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-21728-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
