A bright, vividly told tale that will bring readers closer to the natural world.
This middle-grade adventure sees a girl take up a fantastic quest alongside an alien companion.
One day, sixth grader Katie Noriega stares outside during class. She notices an oak tree and hears a voice ask, “Will you listen to me?” She does and learns that the tree doesn’t want its branches cut. When she passes this on to Mr. Pinksi, her teacher, the class ridicules her. Her best friend, Amy Scott, tells her that pretending to talk to nature is embarrassing. Even more discouraging, Katie’s parents have been fighting and may get divorced. After school, her cat, Sasha, says, “Earth.” Katie is unsure of the message—until the ground shakes and she falls into the family’s basement. There, she meets Za, a young gnomelike alien from the planet Stella. He has purple skin and a bright orb that reveals they’re actually in a cave. They follow a stream through this place that’s “stuck between” and encounter a woman named Dania, who leads them to her forest dwelling. Za’s guardian arrives and gives them gifts, a charm bracelet and a journey song, to help the kids in their search for the Winged Ones and a way back to their respective worlds. Meanwhile, a battle with the all-consuming Poison One lurks ahead. Davidson shares her passion for fantasy and the environment in this vibrant novel. Katie’s character is grounded by the threat of her parents’ divorce. She also bonds, despite the bickering, with Za, whose parents live on different planets. Younger readers will recognize familiar fantasy components, including Kira, a lion; elemental dragons; and Seidon, the lord of the waterways. Love for nature shines as the author’s overarching message; for example, Seidon says, “Although I continue to sense the other waters...Many are now polluted, and I can’t reach them.” An excellent scene showing the connection between trees and fungi gives adventure fans a topic for further study. Also noteworthy is that Katie and Za could not look more different, but they win by embracing their similarities. A winged horse named Wind stays with Katie in the end, hinting at further escapades.
A bright, vividly told tale that will bring readers closer to the natural world.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-64388-718-0
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Luminare Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
For readers of the once-popular dystopian YA novels who are now all grown up.
In a distant future, after the Last War when the human population became endangered, a new society formed from the ashes, strictly to optimize procreation.
But not procreation between just anyone. This society, ruled by the Illum—a mysterious authoritarian group—assigns mates to select for the best traits and to breed out defects, to grow the Elite population living in the clouds. Protagonist Emeline is a stubborn and bored young woman, working her days away on the ground as a Minor Defect—one of the class of women waiting to be approved for mating with an Elite, and hoping to never be banished further from society. Emeline’s instincts are apparently to reject the rigid decorum of her society, but she spends years trying to follow the rules set out for her, or at least dissociates enough not to challenge her way of life, until one day an elusive and charming man, Hal, walks into her office to talk about art. The same day, she is approved for mating and matched with Collin, the youngest member of the Illum, in the sort of pairing that hasn’t happened in decades. Courtship with Collin is full of luxury—fancy dinners and balls in the clouds—but also lies and days of discovering secrets kept from her, while trying to keep the Elite’s rumors and malicious Press at bay. Caught between these two men, with their own agendas, and so many unanswered questions, Emeline must decide what she wants, if she can want anything at all. With a rebellion rising in secret and the repression of the Illum close at hand, she’ll find what she’s willing to lose for the ability to choose for herself. The dystopian worldbuilding is underdeveloped at best, so get swept up in discovering truth from lies quickly before it starts to fall apart in your hands.
For readers of the once-popular dystopian YA novels who are now all grown up.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9798217090990
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
© 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.
