Readers will eagerly await the sequel.
A goddess-blessed young woman must find the perfect partner in order to protect her island from being devoured by demons.
In the beginning, Dea created humans, and Crollo wanted to cleanse the earth of them. The deities came to an agreement: Crollo will send scarabeo—insectlike demons—to attack the humans in a calamity known as the Divorando, but Dea will send protection in the form of a pair of divine saviors—a Fonte blessed with defensive magic and a Finestra whose responsibility it is to amplify that magic. Alessa, Saverio’s newest Finestra, craves to belong and to be touched. But her touch has already killed three Fontes, and her people are losing faith in her. When a rebellious preacher incites others to turn against Alessa and attempts are made to assassinate her, she hires Dante, a murderer, to be her bodyguard while she races to find another Fonte and save Saverio from the next Divorando. But she doesn’t expect that Dante may be exactly the one she needs in order to control her power—or that his dark secrets could lead to their demise. Though the elemental magic system is fairly standard, Thiede’s dramatic and fantastical debut is artfully colored with Italian-inspired lore. Determined yet unselfish, Alessa often questions her life and whether Saverio would be safer without her. With deeply cynical Dante, she explores self-love, passion, and belonging. The cast varies in skin tone.
Readers will eagerly await the sequel. (content warning) (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: June 28, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-79405-5
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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
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