A witty, well-conceived, entertaining fantasy featuring a memorable young heroine and genuine chills.
A girl and her friends band together to save their magical world from destruction in this fantasy for middle schoolers.
In the realm of Faraway, Magnolia is a 12-year-old girl with a prodigious gift for magic and a penchant for hoop skirts and crinolines. She is dismayed when her magician parents decide to send her to Gryndells, a boarding school in the great city of Ilium, to hone her powers. She hates leaving her parents’ steam-powered showboat, which transports magicians up and down the Mississippi, and her social circle of sprites, centaurs, talking trees, and catfish the size of city buses. After her arrival at Gryndells, five students disappear, and Magnolia discovers—with the help of one of the school’s ghosts—that something is very wrong in Faraway. Joined by three fellow students and Joe, her anxious parrot familiar, the determined Magnolia sets out to find the missing kids. Plotted with unforced humor and a dash of horror, Jenkinson’s richly textured fantasy involves astral projection, transport portals, evil Imps, giant ogres, a mystical forest with a mind of its own, and stolen dragon teeth with the potential to destroy the entire world of Faraway. There are a few misused words, such as “simpered” for whimpered and “shuttered” for shuddered, but the book’s pleasures, in addition to the well-realized characters, are many. They include references to fairy tales and fantasy literature woven throughout the narrative. In addition to Harry Potter tributes (confusing staircases, sentient books, eccentric professors), there are a mini–Mad Hatter, size-altering potions, quarreling twins (faces on a spinning coin), mentions of hobbits, a powerful magic ring, ceramic Oz figurines, guards in emerald green uniforms, and a witch’s feline familiar named Paiwacket, inspired by Pyewacket in the play/film Bell, Book and Candle. But at its heart, this first installment of a series is a buddy story (and the pals include Joe and Paiwacket), as Magnolia and her companions bond, working together to try to prevent the Imps’ horrific plans for Faraway.
A witty, well-conceived, entertaining fantasy featuring a memorable young heroine and genuine chills. (brief bio)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-980621-17-1
Page Count: 310
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: March 6, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A cliffhanger ending with plenty of unsolved mysteries ensures the return of readers in the next installment.
This Unwanteds (2011) sequel lacks the magic of the first book in more ways than one.
Now that both Artimé and Quill are free states and their rulers continue to work toward mutual peace, Artimé’s leader, mage Marcus Today, who’s worked every day for the last 50 years, wants to take a holiday. He taps former Unwanted Alex to train to serve in his place. Instead of focusing on the students’ creativity and burgeoning magical abilities, this second novel delves into leadership and gives readers plenty to think about concerning qualities and motivation. The third-person narration alternates between Alex and his doubts in his ability to lead and his vengeful twin brother, Aaron, who, after getting kicked out of Quill’s university and losing his Wanted status, plots to become the new high priest of Quill. With the help of secret agents, Aaron hopes to start another war with Artimé and take over their land as well—even if it means defeating his brother. Aaron’s schemes take so long to materialize, however, that there’s little action for stretches of the story. Despite the occasional slow pacing, the discovery of surrounding islands, including one that renders its captives mute in a horrific manner, lends enough adventure to keep fans satisfied.
A cliffhanger ending with plenty of unsolved mysteries ensures the return of readers in the next installment. (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0771-8
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
Funny and heartfelt; a compelling tale featuring a sympathetic cast of characters.
The worlds-shattering conclusion to the Gifted Clans trilogy.
Thirteen-year-old Riley Oh’s world has turned upside down. Hattie, her adoptive sister, has opted to stay in the Spiritrealm to better understand her problems in the Mortalrealm; her parents have adopted Dahl, her soul twin from back when they lived in the sky; and to top it all off, she and Dahl are supposed to save the world and somehow defeat the Godrealm’s vengeful goddesses, which is causing her more than a little anxiety. Luckily, Riley has the support of her friends from both the Spiritrealm and the witch clans, and she’s going to need it, because the barriers between the Mortalrealm, the Spiritrealm, and the Godrealm are starting to thin—and even nonwitches have noticed. Nonstop action, a dash of humor, and a world of technology and Korean magic combine once again in the ways that make this series special. In this installment, Riley truly grows and changes (“compassion isn’t only for your friends—it’s for your enemies, too”), but the themes of family and friendship remain ever present, no matter how far into the Godrealm she may stray. With higher stakes, even more creatures from Korean mythology, and plot points from earlier installments finally addressed, this is an intense, satisfying series finale.
Funny and heartfelt; a compelling tale featuring a sympathetic cast of characters. (author’s note, glossary) (Fantasy. 9-13)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781368073165
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents/Disney
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
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