Boughan weaves a tale so mysterious and magical, harrowing and hopeful, with such deliciously dark villains, readers almost...
This “Cinderella” retelling stars motherless Ellison—Ella for short.
After her widowed father remarries, Ella finds herself now burdened with a dastardly stepfamily that begins to treat her as a servant. A secret passageway leads her to an ancient necromancy manual that grants her the powers to fight back against the abuse she suffers and that threatens her younger brother, Edward. Seeking solace at her mother’s grave one morning, Ella finds herself face to face with the generous, attractive, and heroic Prince William. But of course, when the royal family announces a festival to which all eligible women are invited, her stepsisters sabotage her. Here the story truly diverges from the familiar. To exact revenge on her stepfamily, Ella uses the necromancy tome to conjure spirits to do her bidding—but at great cost. As her brother grows more ill and frail by the day, Ella must look within to see if the monster she should fear is her stepmother or herself. Set in what feels like a largely white 19th-century alternative Europe, the tale is told in deliciously Gothic prose. Although the ending is drawn out a few beats too long and has a preachy overtone, what comes before is enough to keep readers glued for the resolution.
Boughan weaves a tale so mysterious and magical, harrowing and hopeful, with such deliciously dark villains, readers almost forget this is a retelling rather than a story of original beginnings. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-946700-55-1
Page Count: 324
Publisher: Month9Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy.
A war between gods plays havoc with mortals and their everyday lives.
In a time of typewriters and steam engines, Iris Winnow awaits word from her older brother, who has enlisted on the side of Enva the Skyward goddess. Alcohol abuse led to her mother’s losing her job, and Iris has dropped out of school and found work utilizing her writing skills at the Oath Gazette. Hiding the stress of her home issues behind a brave face, Iris competes for valuable assignments that may one day earn her the coveted columnist position. Her rival for the job is handsome and wealthy Roman Kitt, whose prose entrances her so much she avoids reading his articles. At home, she writes cathartic letters to her brother, never posting them but instead placing them in her wardrobe, where they vanish overnight. One day Iris receives a reply, which, along with other events, pushes her to make dramatic life decisions. Magic plays a quiet role in this story, and readers may for a time forget there is anything supernatural going on. This is more of a wartime tale of broken families, inspired youths, and higher powers using people as pawns. It flirts with clichéd tropes but also takes some startling turns. Main characters are assumed White; same-sex marriages and gender equality at the warfront appear to be the norm in this world.
Ideal for readers seeking perspectives on war, with a heavy dash of romance and touch of fantasy. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-85743-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
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