A fun supernatural tale with well-developed characters and a touch of romance.
In Smith’s fantasy series starter, a teenage superhero faces the gravest peril of his young life when two near-immortal figures start kidnapping young boys off the streets.
Seventeen-year-old billionaire graphic novelist Will Dreycott’s biggest secret is that when he sleeps, he becomes the Dream Rider—a masked vigilante whose ability to enter the world of other people’s dreams allows him to help solve crimes by feeding the information he collects to journalist Harry Lyle, who passes it on to the police. While awake, Will is a mild-mannered, successful creative artist, effectively trapped inside his tower in Toronto due to agoraphobia that began when his parents went missing eight years ago. After Harry asks for his help to investigate the disappearance of a number of houseless boys, Will meets Case, a 16-year-old girl whose younger brother, Fader, has been kidnapped. Case is desperate for help to save her sibling, and although she doesn’t trust the cops, she feels a connection with Will. As the pair start to fall for each other, they tangle with the fabled witch Morrigan and her lover, Marell, who have dark plans for the boys they’ve abducted and who possess powers that the Dream Rider fears he can’t face. Smith’s introduction to the Dream Rider Saga is a multilayered fantasy that pays homage to familiar superhero tropes—including the Batman-esque orphaned, rich vigilante—while adding a nice dose of magic and mystery to the mix. The story is character-driven and richly developed, highlighting Will’s fears of facing his enemies alone (“He was the only person left to stop a crazed super villain. And he didn’t have the slightest clue what to do”), Case’s ongoing struggle to avoid vulnerability, and the villainous Morrigan’s inner conflict. Other characters display uncanny powers like Will’s, and the mystery surrounding Will’s parents’ disappearance provides tantalizing information for future installments.
A fun supernatural tale with well-developed characters and a touch of romance.Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2022
ISBN: 9781928048329
Page Count: 381
Publisher: Spiral Path Publications
Review Posted Online: Nov. 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
A charming cozy fantasy about defying expectations and finding love.
The lives of two Los Angeles girls inhabiting different universes intersect, proving that love knows no bounds.
Brenda Nguyen has a 19-step plan to save the world. Kat Woo is haunted by her legacy as the chosen one, a role she has no interest in. Brenda, working on an environmental science college scholarship application, stumbles into Sammy’s Coffee and Pick-Me-Ups, which Kat’s family owns. As the girls get to know each other, Brenda at last finds someone who’ll listen to her detailed plans, while Kat discovers she has something to look forward to. The girls, who alternate narrating the story, must defy the odds as their worlds begin to collide. As well as being a love story, this is an exploration of familial expectations: Kat is trying to outrun them, while Brenda is driven to fulfill hers. The girls, who are of Chinese and Vietnamese descent, respectively, complement each other: Brenda learns to live in the present, and Kat begins to look to the future. While there are pixie swarms and mana surges, the action takes a back seat to characterization. Lee’s fully developed parallel worlds are alike in many ways, although in Kat’s, you can buy teleportation spells at Target. The cast is rounded out by solid portrayals of the girls’ friends and family, who are important to the plot.
A charming cozy fantasy about defying expectations and finding love. (author’s note, recommended reading) (Fantasy romance. 14-18)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9781250778024
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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