An entertaining, if somewhat overly detailed, fantasy for Christian readers.
In Downing’s YA fantasy novel, teens take part in a competition and unearth secrets as creatures and revolutionaries threaten their city.
Eighteen years ago, Matt was left as a baby on a stranger’s doorstep in Kentville. Now, as an adult, he discovers he comes from a magic-using people called the Adamic, who are hunted by fearsome, soul-eating monsters called feeders. Matt must go to Cavernum, one of the few cities left where Adamic can be safe, but he soon learns that magic doesn’t make Cavernum any less corrupt than anywhere else. Roselyn is the princess of the city, and she’s never known any other way of life than the feudalistic system that governs its people. A group calling themselves equalists wants to change how the city is run, and they plan to do so by killing the royal family. Matt and Roselyn, since they are both 18, must compete in the Dividing to determine what guild they will join that matches their skills. As tensions rise during the competition, threats from outside grow stronger: The feeders are attacking more and more people, and stranger monsters, long thought extinct, become a danger to all of the Adamic. This is a Christian fantasy that uses a number of elements from the Bible in its worldbuilding and in its characters’ worldviews. Downing has clearly put an immense amount of time working out the details of his fictional setting, and it shows on every page. But although the worldbuilding is thoroughly believable, the explanations and exposition sometimes linger on too long. The author also has a tendency to simply state information instead of letting it reveal itself in his characters’ actions. That said, Matt and Rose are engaging teens who drive the plot forward effectively, and they interact with the fantastical elements of their world in ways that feel realistic. The mysteries and secrets at the heart of the tale are also appealing.
An entertaining, if somewhat overly detailed, fantasy for Christian readers.Pub Date: May 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73-461072-7
Page Count: 508
Publisher: Devil Down Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 5, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The well-paced romantic tension is a highlight of this enjoyable duology closer.
Even a war driven by gods can’t sever communication between journalist lovers Iris and Roman in this steampunk-adjacent romantic adventure.
A prologue sets the scene: Dacre, a god strummed to sleep by magic in Divine Rivals (2023), will not slumber forever. His willingness to wage war to acquire more powerful magic leads him to lay waste to entire towns, and Inkridden Tribune journalist Iris Winnow and war correspondent Roman Kitt can no longer be assured the other is safe—or even still alive. In Iris’ world of cigarette smoke, copper pipes, and driving goggles, colleagues affectionately call each other by their last names, watch each other’s backs, and face danger on the front lines. Though Underling Correspondent Roman is traveling with Dacre’s army, he questions why he was healed of his grievous wounds, while at the same time, he gradually recovers memories of Iris and recalls that she was special to him. Their magically connected typewriters allow for the rediscovery of their love and for communicating potentially deadly information about the invasion of Hawk Shire. The story primarily unfolds from Iris’ and Roman’s viewpoints, and while the prose occasionally uses well-worn phrases, Anglophiles will particularly enjoy the worldbuilding, and returning readers will welcome appearances from Capt. Keegan Torres; her wife, Marisol; and Dacre’s archnemesis—and wife—the goddess Enva. Main characters present white.
The well-paced romantic tension is a highlight of this enjoyable duology closer. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9781250857453
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
A meticulously crafted magical medical mystery with an emotionally substantive romance.
As in earlier entries, this trilogy closer blends genres as it presents a quest to resolve a strange plague alongside a heartfelt romance and an exploration of shifting allegiances.
With Theo Brood’s father dispatched, Theo and Ren Monroe begin the arduous task of turning the Brood estate into something more egalitarian. Meanwhile, medical student Mercy Whitaker has been sent by her mentor, Dr. Horn, to help victims of a plague that’s sweeping nearby farms. Quick thinking and dogged detective skills lead her right to the source—but not to a full explanation of what’s going on. Concurrently, questions arise after someone from Ren’s past goes missing. Nevelyn Tin’Vori’s careful research, part of her ongoing desire to undermine the Brood dynasty, leads her right to the answers everyone seeks, ones that are directly connected to Mercy’s gruesome discovery. Alliances new and old form and break, as a shadowy group called the Makers threatens to bring down not just the Broods but magic itself. The solidity of the central characters, who continue to grow emotionally through their many varied experiences, brings coherence to the series. Though Ren and Theo, who present white, have grown up over the course of the books, the steadily upbeat pacing and judicious worldbuilding remain ideal for teen readers, preventing any stagnation in this series that ends as interestingly as it started.
A meticulously crafted magical medical mystery with an emotionally substantive romance. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781665930499
Page Count: 544
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 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.
