Telepathic dogs, flying dragons and clairvoyant bears abound in Purpus’ (Dragon Magic, 2014, etc.) new YA fantasy novel.
The fourth book set in Draconia introduces 15-year-old Aster, a headstrong young lady who is seeking purpose in life. Her father is a carpenter, and Aster is slated to start an apprenticeship that will train her in the same art. She has other ideas, though, and enters the Pathfinder Academy, a program designed to help youngsters find their true callings. It is quickly apparent that Aster possesses strong dragon magic and the gift of telepathy. She is also drawn to the history of Draconia when she discovers information about the nation’s past that was doomed to be forgotten. In the middle of her research, Aster uncovers facts pertinent to the future survival of Draconia and the magic that inhabits her world. She befriends a dragon named Jasmine, who has chosen to live in isolation following the loss of her dragon rider. Jasmine and Aster form a powerful bond and become a team, encountering unexpected allies with unique gifts, including a powerful mage, a gryphon and a seer who happens to be a bear. Along the way, Jasmine begins to heal from her loss and helps Aster come to terms with a betrayal in her own family. Meanwhile, dark magic threatens Draconia, and only Aster and Jasmine possess the strength and knowledge to save the country. Purpus has the material for an engaging magical tale focused on family and forgiveness. Her characters are appealing and relatable, modeling behavior that Purpus’ young audience will hopefully find attractive. However, Purpus spends too much time hashing out Aster’s family problems and Jasmine’s angst over her lost rider, failing to build adequate suspense around the existence of dark magic. The possible presence of a black magician is revealed nearly two-thirds of the way through the book, leaving only 100 or so pages to find the culprit and bring about a resolution. As a result, the climax feels unfortunately rushed.
An on-trend fantasy novel that may please fans of Purpus’ previous work, though it lacks a wider appeal.
Pub Date: July 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-0692221259
Page Count: 292
Publisher: Purpus Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A first novel, this is also a first person account of Scout's (Jean Louise) recall of the years that led to the ending of a mystery, the breaking of her brother Jem's elbow, the death of her father's enemy — and the close of childhood years. A widower, Atticus raises his children with legal dispassion and paternal intelligence, and is ably abetted by Calpurnia, the colored cook, while the Alabama town of Maycomb, in the 1930's, remains aloof to their divergence from its tribal patterns. Scout and Jem, with their summer-time companion, Dill, find their paths free from interference — but not from dangers; their curiosity about the imprisoned Boo, whose miserable past is incorporated in their play, results in a tentative friendliness; their fears of Atticus' lack of distinction is dissipated when he shoots a mad dog; his defense of a Negro accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, is followed with avid interest and turns the rabble whites against him. Scout is the means of averting an attack on Atticus but when he loses the case it is Boo who saves Jem and Scout by killing Mayella's father when he attempts to murder them. The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative. There is much advance interest in this book; it has been selected by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest; it should win many friends.
Pub Date: July 11, 1960
ISBN: 0060935464
Page Count: 323
Publisher: Lippincott
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1960
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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