An animated, indelible cast drives this entertaining, otherworldly tale.
A teenager with a newfound ability finds a magical world that’s threatened in this YA fantasy.
Clara Thorn constantly feels that she doesn’t belong. As she and her parents move a lot, the 13-year-old girl has been changing schools without making any friends. Las Vegas is no different; copious bullies zero in on her, mocking her for such things as her family being “poor.” That’s why she’s surprised to see a trio of bullies on her side of Vegas—the less affluent residential neighborhoods. Clara follows them and stumbles into Underhill, a place outside the ordinary world where magical people live. The teen is later shocked to learn that her birthparents, who wielded magic, were forced to abandon her as a baby. As she’s now at the age when her own talents will surface, Clara starts to see magic in the form of floating, multicolored numbers and symbols. But things could go wrong if she doesn’t learn to control her powers, so she attends Liginbaum’s School for Witches in Underhill. Clara gains some friends, but even a magical world unfortunately has bullies. It’s likewise not immune to dangers, as someone seems to be targeting Borders, the hidden passageways between Underhill and the ordinary world. Outside of Underhill, paladins, or witch hunters, chase down magical people like Clara. But she and her friends suspect an individual right there in Underhill is working with paladins in a Borders scheme that may be harmful for everyone, including “Ordinaries” such as Clara’s beloved, adoptive parents.
Jones’ series opener brims with wonderful characters. Both sets of Clara’s parents are especially memorable. Her softhearted adoptive mother and father have raised her as their own daughter. Clara’s birthparents, paladin-battling “counter-hunters” who vanished 12 years ago, have become legendary in Underhill. While a school for magical youngsters has become a popular subgenre all its own, this novel unfolds as an engrossing mystery. For example, Clara and her pals, to unearth information on their suspect, scour a library for specifics on Underhill’s complex history. At the same time, Underhill teems with magicians who create fire or teleport as well as numerous otherworldly creatures, from wolflike beasts to Oilliphéist (lake dragons) and velvety direbunnies with pink noses and two rows of long, sharp fangs. Clara’s ability, meanwhile, is even greater than it initially seemed; she can “tweak” someone else’s magic and proves capable of much more as the story progresses. Her synesthesialike power showcases the author’s radiant prose: “Clara realized that the room—the very air—was filled with glowing equations—not the usual soft reds, blues, and greens she was used to seeing, but angry, bright primary colors muddied with brown and black.” Jones caps off this story with a special recipe for fizzycider, a fruity Underhill beverage, written for Ordinaries (no magic required). By the end, a few sequel-teasing mysteries linger, most notably an enigmatic, apparently formidable villain only mentioned in passing.
An animated, indelible cast drives this entertaining, otherworldly tale.Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2022
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 387
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Sept. 7, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia.
A teenage witch goes up against the evil king of the mountain to save a cursed village.
Witch-in-training Verity Vox has spent a year apiece in different villages, helping in any way she can as she learns her art. When it’s time to move on, she receives a sign that shows her where to go next. When the latest sign appears in the form of a note begging for help that floats down on a leaf, she’s eager for the challenge. Verity winds up in Foxfire, a village in the Appalachian mountains that’s been magically cut off from the rest of the world for years, leaving its people close to starvation. The root of their suffering is a man they know as Earl, who lives in the hills and strikes deals with the townspeople that ultimately cause crops to wither, folks to disappear, and the only bridge out of the valley to crumble. Verity is determined to change the villagers’ fortunes, but to do so she’ll have to face off against not just Earl but the ancient power of the mountains itself. Loosely based on the Germanic Erlking legend and told in a voice reminiscent of folktales, the story features a queer romance and a cast that presents white. The convoluted magic system undercuts the strong themes of reciprocity, poverty, and privilege, but Appalachian readers will instantly recognize home.
A sweet if muddled tale of the magic of Appalachia. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2025
ISBN: 9798890032706
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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