While this is the conclusion of this particular voyage, there is enough material left to make Galahad fans hope there may be...
The starship Galahad left Earth on a mission with the last remnants of humankind: 250 teens chosen for their intellect, their areas of expertise and their ability to survive.
It’s been a year since lift off from a dying planet. Traveling to the closest star system capable of supporting human life, these teens have already dealt with sabotage, alien life forms, on-board romances, power plays among the crew and the death of one of their own. But they now face their biggest challenge yet. Galahad is breaking down around them and will disintegrate in a matter of days if they can’t escape this sector of space. A new alien species, the Dollovit, has offered to guide the Galahad through a worm hole to deliver them to their destination—for a price. Even more threatening is the discovery of a virus inserted into the ship’s operating software that might cause her to explode at any time. Are the Dollovit friends or foe? Will the ship’s crew stay united or split into factions? Will they arrive at their destination in time to disembark or blow up just when their new life is in sight? Testa knows how to keep the pages turning. An author's note assuring teens they can be both cool and smart at the same time and reader's guide round out the book.
While this is the conclusion of this particular voyage, there is enough material left to make Galahad fans hope there may be more: It’s a new future out there. (Science fiction. 13-17)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7653-2112-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2011
Last-minute twists don’t make up for slow pacing, but they give the next sequel potential.
Trust issues reign in the third cloak-and-dagger intrigue of the Falling Kingdoms series.
Following Rebel Spring (2013), rebel leader Jonas is recovering from yet another failed mission against evil King Gaius, having lost most of his followers. He’s nearly captured when a mysterious, amazing fighter emerges to rescue him and join Jonas’ cause. Gaius’ heir, Prince Magnus, meanwhile, wavers between his desire for Gaius’ approval and the knowledge that his father’s a liar who ordered the assassination of Magnus’ mother. Princess Cleo decides to bond with her new sister-in-law, the sorceress Lucia, to get closer to the Kindred, magical crystals whose power Cleo hopes to use to retake her kingdom. In the process, she bafflingly starts to care about Lucia, though it’s mostly through telling not showing. Meanwhile, two children of a powerful overseas emperor visit; they’re after the Kindred like everyone else. Characters are frequently stabbed to death with daggers. Romantically, it’s more of a messy love web than a triangle, giving fans of every couple chances to swoon and hiss. The viewpoint-jumping narration induces too much repetitive recap, slowing the already unevenly paced plot. In the final act, characters calling one another out as traitors start to identify the liars among them, as well as feeling the consequences of trusting and mistrusting the wrong people.
Last-minute twists don’t make up for slow pacing, but they give the next sequel potential. (Fantasy. 13-17)Pub Date: Dec. 9, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-59514-705-9
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
An overbusy mishmash
A Nutcracker retelling includes a Victorian mob princess/warrior heroine, an alternate New York City, steampunk faeries and an epic multigenerational battle.
Seventeen-year-old Clara is the daughter of New York’s mayor—which is to say her father is the poor dupe that organized crime has mounted as figurehead leader. Heartless Patricia Plum and depraved Dr. Victor are the real leaders, with the city at their mercy. When Dr. Victor isn’t committing vile tortures on the bodies of imprisoned waifs, he’s sexually harassing Clara, who’s afraid to fight back. She could fight back, however, because Clara’s Godfather has spent his life training her to become the kind of fighter one only sees in computer games, with a tear-away gown hiding her many knives. These skills will serve her well when she’s thrust into the fairyland Cane, accompanied by sexy prince Nicholas, who until recently was a statue: a sinister, repulsively marked statue she’d always found fascinating and more recently erotic. In Cane, the humans (who once tortured faeries for fun) have been defeated by the equally sadistic and sexually threatening faeries, who force all humans to become drug addicts. Perhaps Clara can help, or maybe she’ll succumb to the homoerotic advances of the evil queen.
An overbusy mishmash . (Fantasy. 15-17)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-6598-5
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
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